Control of chicken CR1 retrotransposons is independent of Dicer-mediated RNA interference pathway.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Dicer is an RNase III-ribonuclease that initiates the formation of small interfering RNAs as a defence against genomic parasites such as retrotransposons. Despite intensive characterization in mammalian species, the biological functions of Dicer in controlling retrotransposable elements of the non-mammalian vertebrate are poorly understood. In this report, we examine the role of chicken Dicer in controlling the activity of chicken CR1 retrotransposable elements in a chicken-human hybrid DT40 cell line employing a conditional loss-of-Dicer function.

Results

Retrotransposition is detrimental to host genome stability and thus eukaryotic cells have developed mechanisms to limit the expansion of retrotransposons by Dicer-mediated RNAi silencing pathways. However, the m

SUBMITTER: Lee SH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2734521 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature