The relationship between transposable elements and ecological niches in the Greater Cape Floristic Region: A study on the genus Pteronia (Asteraceae).

ABSTRACT: Non-coding repetitive DNA (repeatome) is an active part of the nuclear genome, involved in its structure, evolution and function. It is dominated by transposable elements (TEs) and satellite DNA and is prone to the most rapid changes over time. The TEs activity presumably causes the global genome reorganization and may play an adaptive or regulatory role in response to environmental challenges. This assumption is applied here for the first time to plants from the Cape Floristic hotspot to determine whether changes in repetitive DNA are related to responses to a harsh, but extremely species-rich environment. The genus Pteronia (Asteraceae) serves as a suitable model group because it shows considerable variation in genome size at the diploid level and has high and nearly equal levels

SUBMITTER: Chumova Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9559566 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature