Pogo transposase contains a putative helix-turn-helix DNA binding domain that recognises a 12 bp sequence within the terminal inverted repeats

• Published in: Nucleic acids research 1999-01, Vol.27 (2), p.455-461
• Main Authors: Wang, H, Hartswood, E, Finnegan, D.J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Binding Sites; DNA Transposable Elements; DNA-binding domains; DNA-binding proteins; DNA-Binding Proteins - chemistry; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Drosophila melanogaster; Drosophila melanogaster - enzymology; Drosophila melanogaster - genetics; Drosophila Proteins; Escherichia coli - genetics; Helix-Turn-Helix Motifs; Molecular Sequence Data; nucleotide sequences; Protein Binding; Protein Structure, Secondary; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - chemistry; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - metabolism; repetitive sequences; Terminal Repeat Sequences; Transposases - chemistry; Transposases - genetics; Transposases - metabolism; transposons
• ISSN: 0305-1048; 1362-4962
• DOI: 10.1093/nar/27.2.455

Pogo is a transposable element with short terminal inverted repeats. It contains two open reading frames that are joined by splicing and code for the putative pogo transposase, the sequence of which indicates that it is related to the transposases of members of the Tc1/mariner family as well as proteins that have no known transposase activity including the centromere binding protein CENP-B. We have shown that the N-terminal region of pogo transposase binds in a sequence-specific manner to the ends of pogo and have identified residues essential for this. The results are consistent with a prediction that DNA binding is due to a helix-turn-helix motif within this region. The transposase recognises a 12 bp sequence, two copies of which are present at each end of pogo DNA. The outer two copies occur as inverted repeats 14 nucleotides from each end of the element, and contain a single base mismatch and indicate the inverted repeats of pogo are 26 nucleotides long. The inner copies occur as direct repeats, also with a single mismatch.