Concanavalin A promotes bromodeoxyuridine induction of enodgenous C-Type virus in B cells

Identification and expression analysis of two steamer-like retrotransposons in the Chilean blue mussel (Mytilus chilensis)

BACKGROUND

Disseminated neoplasia (DN) is a proliferative cell disorder of the circulatory system of bivalve mollusks. The disease is transmitted between individuals and can also be induced by external chemical agents such as bromodeoxyuridine. In Mya arenaria, we have cloned and characterized an LTR-retrotransposon named Steamer. Steamer mRNA levels and gene copy number correlates with DN and can be used as a marker of the disease. So far, the only mollusk where a retrotransposon expression relates to DN is Mya arenaria. On the other hand, it has been reported that the Chilean blue mussel Mytilus chilensis can also suffers DN. Our aim was to identify retrotransposons in Mytilus chilensis and to study their expression levels in the context of disseminated neoplasia.

RESULTS

Here we show that 7.1% of individuals collected in August 2018, from two farming areas, presents morphological characteristics described in DN. Using Steamer sequence to interrogate the transcriptome of M. chilensis we found two putative retrotransposons, named Steamer-like elements (MchSLEs). MchSLEs are present in the genome of M. chilensis and MchSLE1 is indeed an LTR-retrotransposon. Neither expression, nor copy number of the reported MchSLEs correlate with DN status but both are expressed at different levels among individual animals. We also report that in cultured M. chilensis haemocytes MchSLEs1 expression can be induced by bromodeoxyuridine.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that SLEs present in Mytilus chilensis are differentially expressed among individuals and do not correlate with disseminated neoplasia. Treatment of haemocytes with a stressor like bromodeoxyuridine induces expression of MchSLE1 suggesting that in Mytilus chilensis environmental stressors can induce activation of LTR-retrotransposon.

Chromosomal mapping of the mink cell focus-inducing and xenotropic env gene family in the mouse

Chromosomal locations of members of the xenotropic-related env gene family in the mouse genome have been determined. Endonuclease restriction site polymorphisms detected by molecular hybridization were used to study the inheritance of mink cell-focus inducing and xenotropic env gene-related sequences in recombinant inbred strains of mice. Some of the endogenous env sequences appear to be closely linked to genes determining leukemia virus induction and to genes involved in the immune response, such as the heavy and light chains of the immunoglobulin molecules or allotypic determinants on B and T lymphocytes. The use of probes that detect restriction fragment length polymorphisms in a small family of dispersed sequences promises to yield a large number of markers that can be used together with recombinant inbred strains for efficient mapping of the mouse genome.