What Can Long Terminal Repeats Tell Us About the Age of LTR Retrotransposons, Gene Conversion and Ectopic Recombination?

ABSTRACT: LTR retrotransposons constitute a significant part of plant genomes and their evolutionary dynamics play an important role in genome size changes. Current methods of LTR retrotransposon age estimation are based only on LTR (long terminal repeat) divergence. This has prompted us to analyze sequence similarity of LTRs in 25,144 LTR retrotransposons from fifteen plant species as well as formation of solo LTRs. We found that approximately one fourth of nested retrotransposons showed a higher LTR divergence than the pre-existing retrotransposons into which they had been inserted. Moreover, LTR similarity was correlated with LTR length. We propose that gene conversion can contribute to this phenomenon. Gene conversion prediction in LTRs showed potential converted regions in 25% of LTR pairs. Gen

SUBMITTER: Jedlicka P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7251063 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature