Mobilization of Pack-CACTA transposons in Arabidopsis suggests the mechanism of gene shuffling.

ABSTRACT: Pack-TYPE transposons are a unique class of potentially mobile non-autonomous elements that can capture, merge and relocate fragments of chromosomal DNA. It has been postulated that their activity accelerates the evolution of host genes. However, this important presumption is based only on the sequences of currently inactive Pack-TYPE transposons and the acquisition of chromosomal DNA has not been recorded in real time. Analysing the DNA copy number variation in hypomethylated Arabidopsis lines, we have now for the first time witnessed the mobilization of novel Pack-TYPE elements related to the CACTA transposon family, over several plant generations. Remarkably, these elements can insert into genes as closely spaced direct repeats and they frequently undergo incomplete excisions, resulting

SUBMITTER: Catoni M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6379663 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature