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PMID: 2828038 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Multiple copies of a retroposon interrupt spliced leader RNA genes in the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma gambiense.

The EMBO journal ·Vol. 6 ·No. 12 ·1987-12-01 ·Pages 3819-26

Aksoy S, Lalor TM, Martin J, Van der Ploeg LH, Richards FF

Abstract

The 140-nucleotide spliced leader (SL) RNA, involved in mRNA maturation in the African trypanosomes and in other kinetoplastida, is encoded by a tandem array of spliced leader genes. We show that the 1.4-kb SL gene repeat unit in Trypanosoma gambiense is organized in tandem arrays confined to two large (minimum size 350-450 kb) restriction fragments. SL genes in both arrays are interrupted by a total of eight conserved insertion elements. Cleavage of genomic DNA at restriction sites present within the insertion element but not in the SL gene repeat, releases variable numbers of SL genes from the tandem array. Since the insertion element contains a terminal poly(A) track of 36 bases and because a 49-bp duplication of target DNA has occurred at the integration site, we conclude that it is a retroposon. This retropson is uniquely associated with the SL gene clusters. These retroposons presumably originated from a single insertion event after which their copy number increased, possibly through unequal sister chromatid exchange.

MeSH Terms
Animals Base Sequence DNA Transposable Elements Genes Molecular Sequence Data Nucleic Acid Hybridization RNA Splicing RNA, Messenger/genetics Trypanosoma brucei gambiense/genetics
Chemicals
DNA Transposable Elements RNA, Messenger
Authors & Affiliations
5 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Aksoy S
Yale MacArthur Center for Molecular Parasitology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Lalor T M
Martin J
Van der Ploeg L H
Richards F F
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Article Info
Journal
The EMBO journal
Abbr.
EMBO J
ISSN
0261-4189
Published
1987-12-01
Pages
3819-26
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
8208664
PMCID
PMC553854
Subset
IM
Grants
NIAID NIH HHS · AI-08614 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · AI-21784 · United States
External Links
PubMed source PMC Full Text View journal details
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