Abstract
We appreciate the comments of Massimo Di Giulio on the ancestral character of intron‐containing transfer RNAs (tRNAs), which reinforce his previously published views on the origin of the tRNA molecule (Di Giulio, 1999, 2006). Our main motivation to describe a scenario of tRNA introns as acquired resistance against integrative elements was not to contribute to the long‐fought intron‐late/intron‐early discussion, but to present a view on the purpose of modern tRNA introns. Most introns of archaeal tRNAs are too short to have a different function other than to disrupt their tRNA genes. Therefore, our article (Randau & Soll, 2008) addresses the question as to what the evolutionary advantage of these disruptions would be and why they would be maintained in the genome. Di Giulio offers predictions that do not follow logically from our hypothesis. These predictions include …
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