Age-associated de-repression of retrotransposons in the Drosophila fat body, its potential cause and consequence.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic genomes contain transposable elements (TE) that can move into new locations upon activation. Since uncontrolled transposition of TEs, including the retrotransposons and DNA transposons, can lead to DNA breaks and genomic instability, multiple mechanisms, including heterochromatin-mediated repression, have evolved to repress TE activation. Studies in model organisms have shown that TEs become activated upon aging as a result of age-associated deregulation of heterochromatin. Considering that different organisms or cell types may undergo distinct heterochromatin changes upon aging, it is important to identify pathways that lead to TE activation in specific tissues and cell types. Through deep sequencing of isolated RNAs, we report an increased expression of many retrotransposons i

SUBMITTER: Chen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4854910 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature