Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 5, 519-529, Copyright © 1988 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
LE Talbert and VL Chandler
Mutator stocks of maize exhibit a high mutation rate correlated with the
activity of a family of transposable elements. Mu1 and, to a lesser extent,
the closely related Mu1.7 elements are responsible for most mutator-induced
mutations that have been characterized. These elements are found in 10-60
copies in mutator stocks, and zero to a few intact elements exist in
nonmutator maize stocks. Additionally, the component parts of Mu elements
exist separately in the maize genome. The Mu terminal inverted repeats are
found in multiple copies in all maize lines and related Zea species tested,
and Mu internal sequences exist unassociated with Mu termini. In the
present paper, we describe the structure and genomic distribution of one
Mu-homologous sequence termed MRS-A (for Mu-related sequence). DNA
sequencing shows that MRS-A is closely related to the internal region of
Mu1 and Mu1.7 elements. However, it has no Mu termini and does not have the
structure of a transposable element. This sequence is present in one or two
copies in all maize lines and is highly conserved in the genus Zea. A
similar sequence exists in a species within the genus most closely related
to Zea, Tripsacum dactyloides, although the T. dactyloides genome does not
contain any Mu termini or intact Mu elements. Furthermore, an RNA
transcript homologous to MRS-A and its flanking DNA is found in both
mutator and nonmutator maize plants. These results suggest that MRS-A
represents a stable, functional region of the maize genome, and we
speculate that a similar sequence was encompassed by Mu termini to generate
a Mu transposable element.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Characterization of a highly conserved sequence related to mutator transposable elements in maize
Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene 97403.
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