Single-Nucleotide-Specific Targeting of the Tf1 Retrotransposon Promoted by the DNA-Binding Protein Sap1 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

ABSTRACT: Transposable elements (TEs) constitute a substantial fraction of the eukaryotic genome and, as a result, have a complex relationship with their host that is both adversarial and dependent. To minimize damage to cellular genes, TEs possess mechanisms that target integration to sequences of low importance. However, the retrotransposon Tf1 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe integrates with a surprising bias for promoter sequences of stress-response genes. The clustering of integration in specific promoters suggests that Tf1 possesses a targeting mechanism that is important for evolutionary adaptation to changes in environment. We report here that Sap1, an essential DNA-binding protein, plays an important role in Tf1 integration. A mutation in Sap1 resulted in a 10-fold drop in Tf1 transposition, an

SUBMITTER: Hickey A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4649660 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature