MIT Libraries logoDSpace@MIT

MIT
View Item 
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • View Item
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Evolution of diverse mechanisms for protecting chromosome ends by the Drosophila TART telomere retrotransposons

Author(s)
George, Janet A.; Traverse, Karen L.; Kelley, Kerry; Pardue, Mary-Lou; DeBaryshe, P. G.
Thumbnail
DownloadGeorge-2010-Evolution of diverse mechanisms for protecting chromosome ends by Drosophila TART telomere retrotransposons.pdf (419.4Kb)
PUBLISHER_POLICY

Publisher Policy

Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.

Terms of use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
The retrotransposons HeT-A, TART, and TAHRE, which maintain Drosophila telomeres, transpose specifically onto chromosome ends to form long arrays that extend the chromosome and compensate for terminal loss. Because they transpose by target-primed reverse transcription, each element is oriented so that its 5′ end serves as the extreme end of the chromosome until another element transposes to occupy the terminal position. Thus 5′ sequences are at risk for terminal erosion while the element is at the chromosome end. Here we report that TART elements in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila virilis show species-specific innovations in promoter architecture that buffer loss of sequence exposed at chromosome ends. The two elements have evolved different ways to effect this protection. The D. virilis TART (TARTvir) promoter is found in the 3′ UTR of the element directly upstream of the element transcribed. Transcription starts within the upstream element so that a “Tag” of extra sequence is added to the 5′ end of the newly transcribed RNA. This Tag provides expendable sequence to buffer end erosion of essential 5′ sequence after the RNA is reverse transcribed onto the chromosome. In contrast, the D. melanogaster TART (TARTmel) promoter initiates transcription deep within the 5′ UTR, but the element is able to replace and extend the 5′ UTR sequence by copying sequence from its 3′ UTR, we believe while being reverse transcribed onto the chromosome end. Astonishingly, end-protection in TARTvir and HeT-Amel are essentially identical (using Tags), whereas HeT-Avir is clearly protected from end erosion by an as-yet-unspecified program.
Date issued
2010-11
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/64457
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
Citation
George, Janet A. et al. “Evolution of Diverse Mechanisms for Protecting Chromosome Ends by Drosophila TART Telomere Retrotransposons.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107.49 (2010) : 21052 -21057. ©2010 by the National Academy of Sciences
Version: Final published version
ISSN
0027-8424
1091-6490

Collections
  • MIT Open Access Articles

Browse

All of DSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

Login

Statistics

OA StatisticsStatistics by CountryStatistics by Department
MIT Libraries
PrivacyPermissionsAccessibilityContact us
MIT
Content created by the MIT Libraries, CC BY-NC unless otherwise noted. Notify us about copyright concerns.