Evolutionary History of Cer Elements and Their Impact on the C. elegans Genome
Abstract
We report the results of sequence analysis and chromosomal distribution of all distinguishable long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons (Cer elements) in the Caenorhabditis elegans genome. Included in this analysis are all readily recognizable full-length and fragmented elements, as well as solo LTRs. Our results indicate that there are 19 families of Cerelements, some of which display significant subfamily structure.Cer elements can be clustered based on their tRNA primer binding sites (PBSs). These clusters are in concordance with our reverse transcriptase- and LTR-based phylogenies. Although we find that most Cer elements are located in the gene depauperate chromosome ends, some elements are located in or near putative genes and may contribute to gene structure and function. The results of RT-PCR analyses are consistent with this prediction.
Footnotes
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↵1 Corresponding author.
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E-MAIL mcgene{at}arches.uga.edu; FAX (706) 542-3910.
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Article and publication are at http://www.genome.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gr.196201.
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- Received May 17, 2001.
- Accepted October 10, 2001.
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
