In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have discovered a bizarre and previously unknown lifeform that resides within the human body. These entities, aptly named “obelisks,” are circular strands of genetic material that organize themselves into rod-like structures.
Obelisks inhabit the bacteria found in the mouths and guts of nearly half the global population, though their existence was only found during an exhaustive search for unclassified patterns in genetic libraries. Despite their prevalence, their means of transmission remain a mystery.
“It’s insane,” exclaimed Mark Peifer, a cell and developmental biologist unaffiliated with the research, according to Daily Mail. “The more we look, the more crazy things we see.”
Obelisks share similarities with viroids, RNA-based viruses known to infect plants, yet their presence in human-associated bacteria has left experts astounded. With genomes formed of RNA loops and a lack of protein-coding capacity, they defy conventional definitions of life. Scientists speculate they could be “stealthy evolutionary passengers” that have influenced Earth’s biodiversity for millennia.
“We’re only scratching the surface of what these entities represent,” said Ivan Zheludev, a Stanford biochemist and lead researcher of the study published in Cell. By analyzing thousands of RNA sequences from human microbiomes, Zheludev’s team identified 30,000 distinct obelisk types previously overlooked due to their strikingly unusual nature.
One notable finding revealed that obelisks inhabit different areas of the body with varying abundance. While 50% of individuals harbor obelisks in their mouths, only 7% carry them in their gut. Long-term observations indicate that a single obelisk type can persist in its human host for up to a year.
These enigmatic entities appear to colonize bacterial cells in a manner akin to viruses infecting hosts. Evidence of this interaction was observed in Streptococcus sanguinis, a common component of dental plaque. This relationship opens doors for laboratory studies to further unravel the survival strategies of obelisks within microbial cells.
Obelisks also encode a unique protein called obulin, which has no known parallels in existing proteins. Despite their name and novelty, the function of obulins remains elusive. Many obelisks additionally encode a smaller variant of this protein, adding to the intrigue surrounding their biology.
Though their ecological and evolutionary roles are still speculative, obelisks might be parasitic, benign, or even beneficial to their bacterial hosts. Experts emphasize the potential implications for human health if obelisks are found to influence the microbiome’s dynamics. Notably, their viroid relatives, including the Hepatitis D virus, underscore the possibility of disease-causing capabilities.
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