Abstract
BackgroundThe Tc1/mariner superfamily of transposable elements (TEs) is widespread in animal genomes. Mariner-like elements, which bear a DDD triad catalytic motif, have been identified in a wide range of flowering plant species. However, as the founding member of the superfamily, Tc1-like elements that bear a DD34E triad catalytic motif are only known to unikonts (animals, fungi, and Entamoeba).ResultsHere we report the identification of Tc1-like elements (TLEs) in plant genomes. These elements bear the four terminal nucleotides and the characteristic DD34E triad motif of Tc1 element. The two TLE families (PpTc1, PpTc2) identified in the moss (Physcomitrella patens) genome contain highly similar copies. Multiple copies of PpTc1 are actively transcribed and the transcripts encode intact full length transposase coding sequences. TLEs are also found in angiosperm genome sequence databases of rice (Oryza sativa), dwarf birch (Betula nana), cabbage (Brassica rapa), hemp (Cannabis sativa), barley (Hordium valgare), lettuce (Lactuta sativa), poplar (Populus trichocarpa), pear (Pyrus x bretschneideri), and wheat (Triticum urartu).ConclusionsThis study extends the occurrence of TLEs to the plant phylum. The elements in the moss genome have amplified recently and may still be capable of transposition. The TLEs are also present in angiosperm genomes, but apparently much less abundant than in moss.
Highlights
The Tc1/mariner superfamily of transposable elements (TEs) is widespread in animal genomes
Tc1-like elements in moss Mariner-like elements are widespread in plant genomes [18,36]
To investigate whether plant genomes contain Tc1-like element (TLE), moss genome sequence databases were screened because mosses are among the first terrestrial plants
Summary
The Tc1/mariner superfamily of transposable elements (TEs) is widespread in animal genomes. Transposable elements (TEs) are a major component of most eukaryotic genomes. Their transposition in genomes may lead to increase in their copy numbers. Class II elements are DNA transposons that adopt a ‘cut-and-paste’ approach catalyzed by enzymes called transposases The elements of this class are further divided into superfamilies based on different types of transposases. Despite the growing number of reported active TEs, the majority of transposable elements are not active [3,4]. These elements are important for the dynamic structure of genome during evolution [5,6]. The immobilized TEs can serve as raw genetic materials for genome
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