Search results for "Transposable element"
showing 10 items of 107 documents
Protease-mediated processing of Argonaute proteins controls small RNA association
2020
SummarySmall RNA pathways defend the germlines of animals against selfish genetic elements and help to maintain genomic integrity. At the same time, their activity needs to be well-controlled to prevent silencing of ‘self’ genes. Here, we reveal a proteolytic mechanism that controls endogenous small interfering (22G) RNA activity in the Caenorhabditis elegans germline to protect genome integrity and maintain fertility. We find that WAGO-1 and WAGO-3 Argonaute (Ago) proteins are matured through proteolytic processing of their unusually proline-rich N-termini. In the absence of DPF-3, a P-granule-localized N-terminal dipeptidase orthologous to mammalian DPP8/9, processing fails, causing a cha…
piRNAclusterDB 2.0: update and expansion of the piRNA cluster database.
2021
Abstract PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and their partnering PIWI proteins defend the animal germline against transposable elements and play a crucial role in fertility. Numerous studies in the past have uncovered many additional functions of the piRNA pathway, including gene regulation, anti-viral defense, and somatic transposon repression. Further, comparative analyses across phylogenetic groups showed that the PIWI/piRNA system evolves rapidly and exhibits great evolutionary plasticity. However, the presence of so-called piRNA clusters as the major source of piRNAs is common to nearly all metazoan species. These genomic piRNA-producing loci are highly divergent across taxa and critically…
Structural basis of PETISCO complex assembly during piRNA biogenesis in C. elegans
2021
AbstractPiwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) constitute a class of small RNAs that bind PIWI proteins and are essential to repress transposable elements in the animal germline, thereby promoting genome stability and maintaining fertility. C. elegans piRNAs (21U RNAs) are transcribed individually from minigenes as precursors that require 5’ and 3’ processing. This process depends on the PETISCO complex, consisting of four proteins: IFE-3, TOFU-6, PID-3, and ERH-2. We employ biochemical and structural biology approaches to characterize the PETISCO architecture and its interaction with RNA, together with its effector proteins TOST-1 and PID-1. These two proteins define different PETISCO functions: P…
The Mu1 transposable element of maize contains two promoter signals recognized by the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase.
1990
The galactokinase (GalK) expression plasmid vector system pKO-1 has been used to screen for promoter elements in the maize transposable element Mu1 that function in Escherichia coli. Two transcriptional start points, named S1 and S2, were identified, which are located in the two direct repeats of the transposable element. This paper demonstrates that sequence elements exist in a plant transposable element which function as prokaryotic promotors.
bilbo, a non-LTR retrotransposon of Drosophila subobscura: a clue to the evolution of LINE-like elements in Drosophila
1997
We used the repetitive character of transposable elements to isolate a non-LTR retrotransposon in Drosophila subobscura. bilbo, as we have called it, has homology to TRIM and LOA elements. Sequence analysis showed a 5' untranslated region (UTR), an open reading frame (ORF) with no RNA-binding domains, a downstream ORF that had structural homology to that of the I factor, and, finally, a 3' UTR which ended in several 5-nt repeats. The results of our phylogenetic and structural analyses shed light on the evolution of Drosophila non-LTR retrotransposons and support the hypothesis that an ancestor of these elements was structurally complex.
Development of an Efficient In Vivo System (P-junc-TpaseIS(1223)) for Random Transposon Mutagenesis of Lactobacillus casei
2012
ABSTRACT The random transposon mutagenesis system P junc -TpaseIS 1223 is composed of plasmids pVI129, expressing IS 1223 transposase, and pVI110, a suicide transposon plasmid carrying the P junc sequence, the substrate of the IS 1223 transposase. This system is particularly efficient in Lactobacillus casei , as more than 10,000 stable, random mutants were routinely obtained via electroporation.
Drosophila melanogaster histone H2B retropseudogene is inserted into a region rich in transposable elements.
1998
We have isolated and characterized the genomic sequence of a Drosophila melanogaster histone H2B pseudogene that is localized outside of the cluster of the replication-dependent histone genes and has all the properties of a retropseudogene. It is highly homologous to the transcribed region of the D. melanogaster histone H2B gene, but not to its flanking regions, and is surrounded by short direct repeats. The pseudogene contains several point mutations that preclude its translation. The sequence of the 3' region of this pseudogene is compatible with the hypothesis that the 3' terminal stem-loop structure of the histone H2B mRNA has served as a primer for the reverse transcription event from …
The Genome of Cardinium cBtQ1 Provides Insights into Genome Reduction, Symbiont Motility, and Its Settlement in Bemisia tabaci
2014
International audience; Many insects harbor inherited bacterial endosymbionts. Although some of them are not strictly essential and are considered facultative, they can be a key to host survival under specific environmental conditions, such as parasitoid attacks, climate changes, or insecticide pressures. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is at the top of the list of organisms inflicting agricultural damage and outbreaks, and changes in its distribution may be associated to global warming. In this work, we have sequenced and analyzed the genome of Cardinium cBtQ1, a facultative bacterial endosymbiont of B. tabaci and propose that it belongs to a new taxonomic family, which also includes Candidatu…
In vivo assembly of chromatin on pBR322 sequences cloned into yeast plasmids
1989
Abstract In order to study the in vivo assembly of chromatin on prokaryotic DNA templates, we have transformed yeast cells with plasmids pAJ50 and pRB58, which contain pBR322 sequences. In both cases nucleosomes are assembled in vivo on pBR322 DNA, although the nucleosomes are not homogeneous in size. To explore whether there is any preference for nucleosome assembly along pBR322 sequences, we have used an indirect end labeling method. The results indicate that most nucleosomes are placed at random on pBR322, although the probability for histone octamers to interact with some short regions is somewhat reduced. These regions coincide with sequences in which the frequency distribution of nucl…
Comparative evolution of P–M system and infection by the sigma virus in French and Spanish populations ofDrosophila melanogaster
1992
SummaryIn 1983, an extensive survey of populations ofD. melanogasterwas started in a southern French region (Languedoc) in two non-Mendelian systems: the P–M system of transposable elements and the hereditary Rhabdovirus sigma. Unexpectedly fast-evolving phenomena were observed and interesting correlations were noted, giving similar geographical pattern to the region in both systems. For these reasons, the analysis was continued and extended towards the north (Rhône Valley) and the south (Spain). In the P–M system, all the Languedoc populations evolved from 1983 to 1991 towards the Q type which is characteristic of the Rhône Valley populations. In contrast, M′ strains are currently observed…