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Somatic excision of the Mu1 transposable element of maize.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY 11724.
The Mu transposons of the Robertsons's Mutator transposable element system in maize are unusual in many respects, when compared to the other known plant transposon systems. The excision of these elements occurs late in somatic tissues and very rarely in the germ line. Unlike the other plant transposons, there is no experimental evidence directly linking Mu element excision and integration. We have analyzed the excision products generated by a Mu1 transposon inserted into the bronze 1 locus of maize. We find that the excision products or 'footprints' left by the Mu1 element resemble those of the other plant transposable elements, rather than those of the animal transposable element systems. We also find some novel types of footprints resembling recombinational events. We suggest that the Mu1 element can promote intrachromosomal crossovers and conversions near its site of insertion, and that this may be another mechanism by which transposons can accelerate the evolution of genomes.
PMID: 1849263 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
PMCID: PMC333651
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Cited by 21 PubMed Central articles
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Microhomology-dependent end joining and repair of transposon-induced DNA hairpins by host factors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Yu J, Marshall K, Yamaguchi M, Haber JE, Weil CF.
Mol Cell Biol. 2004 Feb; 24(3):1351-64.
[Mol Cell Biol. 2004]
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Transposon insertions in the promoter of the Zea mays a1 gene differentially affect transcription by the Myb factors P and C1.
Pooma W, Gersos C, Grotewold E.
Genetics. 2002 Jun; 161(2):793-801.
[Genetics. 2002]
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Maize Mu transposons are targeted to the 5' untranslated region of the gl8 gene and sequences flanking Mu target-site duplications exhibit nonrandom nucleotide composition throughout the genome.
Dietrich CR, Cui F, Packila ML, Li J, Ashlock DA, Nikolau BJ, Schnable PS.
Genetics. 2002 Feb; 160(2):697-716.
[Genetics. 2002]
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