Internal initiation of reverse transcription in a Penelope-like retrotransposon

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Date
2024-06-11
Authors
Frangieh, Chris J.
Wilkinson, Max E.
Strebinger, Daniel
Strecker, Jonathan
Walsh, Michelle L.
Faure, Guilhem
Yushenova, Irina A.
Macrae, Rhiannon K.
Arkhipova, Irina R.
Zhang, Feng
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10.1186/s13100-024-00322-z
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Reverse transcriptase
GIY-YIG endonuclease
Hammerhead ribozyme
Abstract
Eukaryotic retroelements are generally divided into two classes: long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons and non-LTR retrotransposons. A third class of eukaryotic retroelement, the Penelope-like elements (PLEs), has been well-characterized bioinformatically, but relatively little is known about the transposition mechanism of these elements. PLEs share some features with the R2 retrotransposon from Bombyx mori, which uses a target-primed reverse transcription (TPRT) mechanism, but their distinct phylogeny suggests PLEs may utilize a novel mechanism of mobilization. Using protein purified from E. coli, we report unique in vitro properties of a PLE from the green anole (Anolis carolinensis), revealing mechanistic aspects not shared by other retrotransposons. We found that reverse transcription is initiated at two adjacent sites within the transposon RNA that is not homologous to the cleaved DNA, a feature that is reflected in the genomic “tail” signature shared between and unique to PLEs. Our results for the first active PLE in vitro provide a starting point for understanding PLE mobilization and biology.
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© The Author(s), 2024. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Frangieh, C. J., Wilkinson, M. E., Strebinger, D., Strecker, J., Walsh, M. L., Faure, G., Yushenova, I. A., Macrae, R. K., Arkhipova, I. R., & Zhang, F. (2024). Internal initiation of reverse transcription in a Penelope-like retrotransposon. Mobile DNA, 15(1), 12, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13100-024-00322-z.
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Frangieh, C. J., Wilkinson, M. E., Strebinger, D., Strecker, J., Walsh, M. L., Faure, G., Yushenova, I. A., Macrae, R. K., Arkhipova, I. R., & Zhang, F. (2024). Internal initiation of reverse transcription in a Penelope-like retrotransposon. Mobile DNA, 15(1), 12.
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