A novel class of SINE elements derived from 5S rRNA

Eukaryotic genomes are colonized by different retroposons, including short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs). All currently known SINEs are derived from tRNA and 7SL RNA genes and exploit their type 2 internal pol III promoters. We report here a novel class of SINE elements, called SINE3, der...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular biology and evolution 2003-05, Vol.20 (5), p.694-702
Main Authors: Kapitonov, Vladimir V, Jurka, Jerzy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Base Sequence
Chromosome Mapping
Databases, Nucleic Acid
DNA Polymerase III - genetics
DNA Transposable Elements - genetics
Evolution, Molecular
Molecular Sequence Data
Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics
RNA, Ribosomal, 5S - genetics
Sequence Alignment
Short Interspersed Nucleotide Elements - genetics
Zebrafish - genetics
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Summary:Eukaryotic genomes are colonized by different retroposons, including short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs). All currently known SINEs are derived from tRNA and 7SL RNA genes and exploit their type 2 internal pol III promoters. We report here a novel class of SINE elements, called SINE3, derived from 5S rRNA. SINE3s are transcribed from the type 1 internal pol III promoter. Approximately 10,000 copies of SINE3 elements are present in the zebrafish genome, they constitute approximately 0.4% of the genomic DNA. Some elements are as little as 1% diverged from each other, indicating that the retrotransposition of SINE3 in zebrafish is an ongoing process. The 3'-tail of SINE3 is significantly similar to that of CR1-like non-LTR retrotransposons, represented by numerous subfamilies in the zebrafish genome. Analogously to CR1-like elements, SINE3 copies are not flanked by target site duplications, and their 3' termini are composed of (ACATT)n and (ATT)n microsatellites, specific for different subfamilies of SINE3. Given the common structural features, it is highly likely that the enzymatic machinery encoded by CR1-like elements powers proliferation of SINE3.
ISSN:0737-4038
1537-1719
DOI:10.1093/molbev/msg075