Dead element replicating: degenerate R2 element replication and rDNA genomic turnover in the Bacillus rossius stick insect (Insecta: Phasmida).

ABSTRACT: R2 is an extensively investigated non-LTR retrotransposon that specifically inserts into the 28S rRNA gene sequences of a wide range of metazoans, disrupting its functionality. During R2 integration, first strand synthesis can be incomplete so that 5' end deleted copies are occasionally inserted. While active R2 copies repopulate the locus by retrotransposing, the non-functional truncated elements should frequently be eliminated by molecular drive processes leading to the concerted evolution of the rDNA array(s). Although, multiple R2 lineages have been discovered in the genome of many animals, the rDNA of the stick insect Bacillus rossius exhibits a peculiar situation: it harbors both a canonical, functional R2 element (R2Brfun) as well as a full-length but degenerate element (R2Brdeg). A

SUBMITTER: Martoni F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4370867 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature