Recombinational micro-evolution of functionally different metallothionein promoter alleles from Orchesella cincta.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Metallothionein (mt) transcription is elevated in heavy metal tolerant field populations of Orchesella cincta (Collembola). This suggests that natural selection acts on transcriptional regulation of mt in springtails at sites where cadmium (Cd) levels in soil reach toxic values This study investigates the nature and the evolutionary origin of polymorphisms in the metallothionein promoter (pmt) and their functional significance for mt expression.

Results

We sequenced approximately 1600 bp upstream the mt coding region by genome walking. Nine pmt alleles were discovered in NW-European populations. They differ in the number of some indels, consensus transcription factor binding sites and core promoter elements. Extensive recombination events between some of the allel

SUBMITTER: Janssens TK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1913499 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature