Transfer RNAs and pathogenicity islands.

The tRNAs are central components in translation. In addition, they are essential for replication of retroviruses: tRNAs bind to viral genomes through their 3'-end sequences and act as primers for initiation of viral replication. Here, I discuss the possibility that tRNAs also play a role in the horizontal transfer of bacterial pathogenicity islands between different pathogens. Such a role would implicate tRNAs in DNA recombination.