Promoting in Tandem: The Promoter for Telomere Transposon HeT-A and Implications for the Evolution of Retroviral LTRs

HeT-A elements are non–long terminal repeat (non-LTR) retrotransposons found in head-to-tail arrays on Drosophila chromosome ends, where they form telomeres. We report that HeT-A promoter activity is located in the 3′ end of the element, unlike the 5′ location seen for other non-LTR retrotransposons...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cell 1997-03, Vol.88 (5), p.647-655
Main Authors: Danilevskaya, O.N, Arkhipova, I.R, Pardue, M.L, Traverse, K.L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Base Sequence
Biological Evolution
Blotting, Northern
Cells, Cultured - physiology
DNA Transposable Elements - genetics
Drosophila melanogaster
Genes, Viral - genetics
Molecular Sequence Data
Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics
Retroviridae - genetics
RNA, Messenger - analysis
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Telomere - genetics
Transcription, Genetic - genetics
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Summary:HeT-A elements are non–long terminal repeat (non-LTR) retrotransposons found in head-to-tail arrays on Drosophila chromosome ends, where they form telomeres. We report that HeT-A promoter activity is located in the 3′ end of the element, unlike the 5′ location seen for other non-LTR retrotransposons. In HeT-A arrays the 3′ sequence of one element directs transcription of its downstream neighbor. Because the upstream promoter has the same sequence as the 3′ end of the transcribed element, the HeT-A promoter is effectively equivalent to a 5′ LTR in both structure and function. Retroviruses and LTR retrotransposons have their promoters and transcription initiation sites in their 5′ LTRs. Thus HeT-A appears to have the structure of an evolutionary intermediate between non-LTR and LTR retrotransposons.
ISSN:0092-8674
1097-4172
DOI:10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81907-8