PUBLICATION

Isolation and characterization of retrotransposition-competent LINEs from zebrafish

Authors
Sugano, T., Kajikawa, M., and Okada, N.
ID
ZDB-PUB-051219-7
Date
2006
Source
Gene   365: 74-82 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
Non-LTR retrotransposon, L2 clade, Retrotransposition, Esterase
MeSH Terms
  • 5' Untranslated Regions
  • Amino Acid Motifs
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Consensus Sequence
  • DNA/genetics
  • Gene Library
  • Genome
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements/genetics*
  • Models, Genetic
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Open Reading Frames
  • Phylogeny
  • Point Mutation
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Retroelements/genetics*
  • Templates, Genetic
  • Zebrafish/genetics*
PubMed
16356661 Full text @ Gene
Abstract
Long interspersed elements (LINEs) are a type of retroposon and are widely distributed in most eukaryotic genomes. LINEs are classified into two groups, the stringent type and relaxed type, based on the recognition of the 3' tail of their own RNA by reverse transcriptase (RT) during retrotransposition. Although most LINEs are thought to belong to the stringent type, retrotransposition studies of the stringent type LINEs are relatively limited compared with those of the relaxed type. We have now isolated two retrotransposition-competent LINEs (ZfL2-1 and ZfL2-2) from the zebrafish genome. Both ZfL2-1 and ZfL2-2 are members of the L2 clade; ZfL2-1 encodes two open reading frames (ORFs) and ZfL2-2 encodes one ORF, and each of the ORFs is required for retrotransposition. Using a retrotransposition assay in HeLa cells, we established that both ZfL2-1 and Zfl2-2 belong to the stringent type. We also demonstrated that an esterase (ES) domain encoded by ZfL2-1 ORF1 strongly enhances its own retrotransposition. The ES domain is encoded only in ORF1 of LINEs classified in the CR1 and L2 clades, although its function or significance in retrotransposition has not been elucidated. Thus, this is the first experimental evidence that the ES domain has an enhancing function during retrotransposition. These zebrafish LINEs will be useful for determining the function of ORF1 and the retrotransposition mechanism of stringent-type LINEs.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping