Terminal repeat retrotransposons as DNA markers in fungi

Long terminal repeat retrotransposons jump between species.

R are an evolutionarily ancient class of mobile genetic elements that transpose replicatively within their host genomes via RNA intermediates. There are three major retrotransposon groups, the Ty1-copia group and the gypsy group long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons and the non-LTR retrotransposons or LINE elements (ref. 1; Fig. 1). All three groups are widespread in the eukaryotes, altho...

Efficient screening of long terminal repeat retrotransposons

LTR Retrotransposons in Fungi

Transposable elements with long terminal direct repeats (LTR TEs) are one of the best studied groups of mobile elements. They are ubiquitous elements present in almost all eukaryotic genomes. Their number and state of conservation can be a highlight of genome dynamics. We searched all published fungal genomes for LTR-containing retrotransposons, including both complete, functional elements and ...

Utilization of genomic retrotransposons as cladistic markers

Genomic retrotransposons are major genomic components in most eukaryotic organisms. Their abundance in the genome is generally correlated with genome size. These elements spread throughout the genome by a process termed retro-transposition consisting of transcription, reverse transcription and reinsertion of the copied element into a new genomic location. The target sites are relatively unspeci...

Do genetic recombination and gene density shape the pattern of DNA elimination in rice long terminal repeat retrotransposons?

In flowering plants, the accumulation of small deletions through unequal homologous recombination (UR) and illegitimate recombination (IR) is proposed to be the major process counteracting genome expansion, which is caused primarily by the periodic amplification of long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs). However, the full suite of evolutionary forces that govern the gain or loss of tra...