Search results for "Transposon"
showing 10 items of 61 documents
Massive LINE-1 retrotransposon enrichment in tamarins of the Cebidae family (Platyrrhini, Primates) and its significance for genome evolution
2021
To study heterochromatin distribution differences among tamarins, we applied LINE-1 probes using fluorescence in situ hybridization onto chromosomes of Saguinus mystax, Leontocebus fuscicollis, and Leontopithecus rosalia with the aim to investigate possible evolutionary implications. LINE-1 repeats were shown to be involved in genome architecture and in the occurrence of chromosomal rearrangements in many vertebrates. We found bright LINE-1 probe signals at centromeric or pericentromeric areas, GC rich, on almost all chromosomes in three tamarin species. We also found non-centromeric signals along chromosome arms. In a phylogenetic perspective, we analyzed the pattern of LINE-1 distribution…
Genetic rearrangement of the atzAB atrazine-degrading gene cassette from pADP1::Tn5 to the chromosome of Variovorax sp. MD1 and MD2
2007
International audience; We report the characterization of the rearrangement phenomena responsible for the movement of the atrazine-degrading atzA and B genes from pADP1::Tn5 to the chromosome of Variovorax sp. MD1 and MD2. Long PCRs and Southern blot analyses revealed that the two genes forming a gene cassette moved in a unique rearrangement event. It also revealed that the boundaries of the plasmid sequence inserted in the chromosome correspond to IS1071or to sequences close to IS1071. It suggests that this genetic rearrangement could result from the transposition of the composite transposon delimited by IS1071 insertion sequences and containing atzA and atzB genes. In addition, for MD1 an…
Genetics for Pseudoalteromonas provides tools to manipulate marine bacterial virus PM2
2008
ABSTRACT The genetic manipulation of marine double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) bacteriophage PM2 ( Corticoviridae ) has been limited so far. The isolation of an autonomously replicating DNA element of Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125 and construction of a shuttle vector replicating in both Escherichia coli and Pseudoalteromonas enabled us to design a set of conjugative shuttle plasmids encoding tRNA suppressors for amber mutations. Using a host strain carrying a suppressor plasmid allows the introduction and analysis of nonsense mutations in PM2. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of a suppressor-sensitive PM2 sus2 mutant deficient in the structural protein P10. To infect an…
Retrotransposon activation by distressed mitochondria in neurons
2020
Retrotransposon activation occurs in a variety of neurological disorders including multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's Disease. While the origins of disease-related retrotransposon activation have remained mostly unidentified, this phenomenon may well contribute to disease progression by inducing inflammation, disrupting transcription and, potentially, genomic insertion. Here, we report that the inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I by pharmacological agents widely used to model Parkinson's disease leads to a significant increase in expression of the ORF1 protein of the long interspersed nucleotide element 1 (LINE1) retrotransposon in human dopaminergic LUHMES cells. These …
Y chromosomes: born to be destroyed
2005
Suppression of recombination is the prerequisite for stable genetically determined sex systems. A consequence of suppression of recombination is the strong bias in the distribution of transposable elements (TEs), mostly retrotransposons. Our results and those from others indicate that the major force driving the degeneration of Y chromosomes are retrotransposons in remodelling former euchromatic chromosome structures into heterochromatic ones. We put forward the following hypotheses. (1) A massive accumulation of retrotransposons occurs early in non-recombining regions. (2) Heterochromatic nucleation centres are formed as a genomic defence mechanism against invasive parasitic elements. The …
Data from: Chironomus riparius (Diptera) genome sequencing reveals the impact of minisatellite transposable elements on population divergence
2017
Active transposable elements (TEs) may result in divergent genomic insertion and abundance patterns among conspecific populations. Upon secondary contact, such divergent genetic backgrounds can theoretically give rise to classical Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities (DMI), thus contributing to the evolution of endogenous genetic barriers and eventually cause population divergence. We investigated differential TE abundance among conspecific populations of the non-biting midge Chironomus riparius and evaluated their potential role in causing endogenous genetic incompatibilities between these populations. We focussed on a Chironomus-specific TE, the minisatellite-like Cla-element, whose activi…
Relationships of gag-pol diversity between Ty3/Gypsy and Retroviridae LTR retroelements and the three kings hypothesis
2008
Abstract Background The origin of vertebrate retroviruses (Retroviridae) is yet to be thoroughly investigated, but due to their similarity and identical gag-pol (and env) genome structure, it is accepted that they evolve from Ty3/Gypsy LTR retroelements the retrotransposons and retroviruses of plants, fungi and animals. These 2 groups of LTR retroelements code for 3 proteins rarely studied due to the high variability – gag polyprotein, protease and GPY/F module. In relation to 3 previously proposed Retroviridae classes I, II and II, investigation of the above proteins conclusively uncovers important insights regarding the ancient history of Ty3/Gypsy and Retroviridae LTR retroelements. Resu…
Evolutionary relationships among the members of an ancient class of non-LTR retrotransposons found in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
1998
We took advantage of the massive amount of sequence information generated by the Caenorhabditis elegans genome project to perform a comprehensive analysis of a group of over 100 related sequences that has allowed us to describe two new C. elegans non-LTR retrotransposons. We named them Sam and Frodo. We also determined that several highly divergent subfamilies of both elements exist in C. elegans. It is likely that several master copies have been active at the same time in C. elegans, although only a few copies of both Sam and Frodo have characteristics that are compatible with them being active today. We discuss whether it is more appropriate under these circumstances to define only 2 elem…
The gut as reservoir of antibiotic resistance: microbial diversity of tetracycline resistance in mother and infant.
2011
The microbiota in the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is highly exposed to antibiotics, and may be an important reservoir of resistant strains and transferable resistance genes. Maternal GIT strains can be transmitted to the offspring, and resistances could be acquired from birth. This is a case study using a metagenomic approach to determine the diversity of microorganisms conferring tetracycline resistance (Tc(r)) in the guts of a healthy mother-infant pair one month after childbirth, and to investigate the potential for horizontal transfer and maternal transmission of Tc(r) genes. Fecal fosmid libraries were functionally screened for Tc(r), and further PCR-screened for specific Tc(r) …
Retrotransposon silencing and telomere integrity in somatic cells of Drosophila depends on the cytosine-5 methyltransferase DNMT2
2009
Here we show that the cytosine-5 methyltransferase DNMT2 controls retrotransposon silencing in Drosophila somatic cells. In Drosophila, significant DNMT2-dependent DNA methylation occurs during early embryogenesis. Suppression of white gene silencing by Mt2 (Dnmt2) null mutations in variegated P[w(+)] element insertions identified functional targets of DNMT2. The enzyme controls DNA methylation at retrotransposons in early embryos and initiates histone H4K20 trimethylation catalyzed by the SUV4-20 methyltransferase. In somatic cells, loss of DNMT2 eliminates H4K20 trimethylation at retrotransposons and impairs maintenance of retrotransposon silencing. In Dnmt2 and Suv4-20 null genotypes, re…