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Bologa AM, Stoica I, Constantin ND, Ecovoiu AA. The Landscape of the DNA Transposons in the Genome of the Horezu_LaPeri Strain of Drosophila melanogaster. INSECTS 2023; 14:494. [PMID: 37367310 DOI: 10.3390/insects14060494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Natural transposons (NTs) represent mobile DNA sequences found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly) is a eukaryotic model organism with NTs standing for about 20% of its genome and has contributed significantly to the understanding of various aspects of transposon biology. Our study describes an accurate approach designed to map class II transposons (DNA transposons) in the genome of the Horezu_LaPeri fruit fly strain, consecutive to Oxford Nanopore Technology sequencing. A whole genome bioinformatics analysis was conducted using Genome ARTIST_v2, LoRTE and RepeatMasker tools to identify DNA transposons insertions. Then, a gene ontology enrichment analysis was performed in order to evaluate the potential adaptive role of some DNA transposons insertions. Herein, we describe DNA transposon insertions specific for the Horezu_LaPeri genome and a predictive functional analysis of some insertional alleles. The PCR validation of P-element insertions specific for this fruit fly strain, along with a putative consensus sequence for the KP element, is also reported. Overall, the genome of the Horezu_LaPeri strain contains several insertions of DNA transposons associated with genes known to be involved in adaptive processes. For some of these genes, insertional alleles obtained via mobilization of the artificial transposons were previously reported. This is a very alluring aspect, as it suggests that insertional mutagenesis experiments conducting adaptive predictions for laboratory strains may be confirmed by mirroring insertions which are expected to be found at least in some natural fruit fly strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru Marian Bologa
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 060101 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Ileana Stoica
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 060101 Bucharest, Romania
| | | | - Alexandru Al Ecovoiu
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 060101 Bucharest, Romania
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Zakharenko LP, Petrovskii DV, Bykov RA. The P-Element Has Not Significant Effect on the Drosophila simulans Viability. Mol Biol 2023. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893323020231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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3
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Rech GE, Radío S, Guirao-Rico S, Aguilera L, Horvath V, Green L, Lindstadt H, Jamilloux V, Quesneville H, González J. Population-scale long-read sequencing uncovers transposable elements associated with gene expression variation and adaptive signatures in Drosophila. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1948. [PMID: 35413957 PMCID: PMC9005704 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29518-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
High quality reference genomes are crucial to understanding genome function, structure and evolution. The availability of reference genomes has allowed us to start inferring the role of genetic variation in biology, disease, and biodiversity conservation. However, analyses across organisms demonstrate that a single reference genome is not enough to capture the global genetic diversity present in populations. In this work, we generate 32 high-quality reference genomes for the well-known model species D. melanogaster and focus on the identification and analysis of transposable element variation as they are the most common type of structural variant. We show that integrating the genetic variation across natural populations from five climatic regions increases the number of detected insertions by 58%. Moreover, 26% to 57% of the insertions identified using long-reads were missed by short-reads methods. We also identify hundreds of transposable elements associated with gene expression variation and new TE variants likely to contribute to adaptive evolution in this species. Our results highlight the importance of incorporating the genetic variation present in natural populations to genomic studies, which is essential if we are to understand how genomes function and evolve. Even in well-studied species, there is still substantial natural genetic variation that has not been characterized. Here, the authors use long read sequencing to discover transposable elements in the Drosophila genome not detected by short read sequencing, and link them to gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel E Rech
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Santiago Radío
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sara Guirao-Rico
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura Aguilera
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vivien Horvath
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Llewellyn Green
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hannah Lindstadt
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Josefa González
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
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Constitutive Heterochromatin in Eukaryotic Genomes: A Mine of Transposable Elements. Cells 2022; 11:cells11050761. [PMID: 35269383 PMCID: PMC8909793 DOI: 10.3390/cells11050761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are abundant components of constitutive heterochromatin of the most diverse evolutionarily distant organisms. TEs enrichment in constitutive heterochromatin was originally described in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, but it is now considered as a general feature of this peculiar portion of the genomes. The phenomenon of TE enrichment in constitutive heterochromatin has been proposed to be the consequence of a progressive accumulation of transposable elements caused by both reduced recombination and lack of functional genes in constitutive heterochromatin. However, this view does not take into account classical genetics studies and most recent evidence derived by genomic analyses of heterochromatin in Drosophila and other species. In particular, the lack of functional genes does not seem to be any more a general feature of heterochromatin. Sequencing and annotation of Drosophila melanogaster constitutive heterochromatin have shown that this peculiar genomic compartment contains hundreds of transcriptionally active genes, generally larger in size than that of euchromatic ones. Together, these genes occupy a significant fraction of the genomic territory of heterochromatin. Moreover, transposable elements have been suggested to drive the formation of heterochromatin by recruiting HP1 and repressive chromatin marks. In addition, there are several pieces of evidence that transposable elements accumulation in the heterochromatin might be important for centromere and telomere structure. Thus, there may be more complexity to the relationship between transposable elements and constitutive heterochromatin, in that different forces could drive the dynamic of this phenomenon. Among those forces, preferential transposition may be an important factor. In this article, we present an overview of experimental findings showing cases of transposon enrichment into the heterochromatin and their positive evolutionary interactions with an impact to host genomes.
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What Have We Learned in 30 Years of Investigations on Bari Transposons? Cells 2022; 11:cells11030583. [PMID: 35159391 PMCID: PMC8834629 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) have been historically depicted as detrimental genetic entities that selfishly aim at perpetuating themselves, invading genomes, and destroying genes. Scientists often co-opt "special" TEs to develop new and powerful genetic tools, that will hopefully aid in changing the future of the human being. However, many TEs are gentle, rarely unleash themselves to harm the genome, and bashfully contribute to generating diversity and novelty in the genomes they have colonized, yet they offer the opportunity to develop new molecular tools. In this review we summarize 30 years of research focused on the Bari transposons. Bari is a "normal" transposon family that has colonized the genomes of several Drosophila species and introduced genomic novelties in the melanogaster species. We discuss how these results have contributed to advance the field of TE research and what future studies can still add to the current knowledge.
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Berloco MF, Minervini CF, Moschetti R, Palazzo A, Viggiano L, Marsano RM. Evidence of the Physical Interaction between Rpl22 and the Transposable Element Doc5, a Heterochromatic Transposon of Drosophila melanogaster. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12121997. [PMID: 34946947 PMCID: PMC8701128 DOI: 10.3390/genes12121997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromatin is a highly dynamic biological entity that allows for both the control of gene expression and the stabilization of chromosomal domains. Given the high degree of plasticity observed in model and non-model organisms, it is not surprising that new chromatin components are frequently described. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that the remnants of the Doc5 transposable element, which retains a heterochromatin insertion pattern in the melanogaster species complex, can be bound by chromatin proteins, and thus be involved in the organization of heterochromatic domains. Using the Yeast One Hybrid approach, we found Rpl22 as a potential interacting protein of Doc5. We further tested in vitro the observed interaction through Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay, uncovering that the N-terminal portion of the protein is sufficient to interact with Doc5. However, in situ localization of the native protein failed to detect Rpl22 association with chromatin. The results obtained are discussed in the light of the current knowledge on the extra-ribosomal role of ribosomal protein in eukaryotes, which suggests a possible role of Rpl22 in the determination of the heterochromatin in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Francesca Berloco
- Department of Biology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70126 Bari, Italy; (M.F.B.); (R.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Crescenzio Francesco Minervini
- Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (D.E.T.O.), Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy;
| | - Roberta Moschetti
- Department of Biology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70126 Bari, Italy; (M.F.B.); (R.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Antonio Palazzo
- Department of Biology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70126 Bari, Italy; (M.F.B.); (R.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Luigi Viggiano
- Department of Biology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70126 Bari, Italy; (M.F.B.); (R.M.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence: (L.V.); (R.M.M.)
| | - René Massimiliano Marsano
- Department of Biology, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70126 Bari, Italy; (M.F.B.); (R.M.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence: (L.V.); (R.M.M.)
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Wang Y, Shen D, Ullah N, Diaby M, Gao B, Song C. Characterization and expression pattern of ZB and PS transposons in zebrafish. Gene Expr Patterns 2021; 42:119203. [PMID: 34481069 DOI: 10.1016/j.gep.2021.119203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Despite comprising much of the genome, transposons were once thought of as junk. However, transposons play many roles in the eukaryotic genome, such as providing new proteins as domesticated genes, expressing during germline-soma differentiation, function in DNA rearrangement in the offspring, and so on. We sought to describe the distribution and structural organization of the two autonomous transposons (ZB and PS) in the zebrafish genome and examine their expression patterns in embryos and adult tissues. The intact copy of ZB and PS was queried by BLAST on NCBI and ENSEMBL using default parameters. Of the copies with coverage and identity, more than 90 % were downloaded to do structural analysis. Spatial and temporal expression patterns were detected by qRT-PCR and Whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH). There are 19 intact copies of ZB, encoding 341 amino acid residues with DD34E catalytic domain and flanked by 201bp TIRs, and seven intact PS copies, containing 425 amino acid residues with DD35D catalytic domain flanked by 28bp TIRs, were detected in the genome of zebrafish respectively. Analysis of genomic insertions indicated that both ZB and PS transposons are prone to be retained in the intron and intergenic regions of the zebrafish genome. The sense and antisense transcripts of ZB and PS were detected during embryonic development stages and exhibited similar expression patterns. The difference is that the sense strand transcript of ZB was explicitly expressed in midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) and otic vesicle (OV), and pharyngeal arches and pharyngeal pouches (PA&PP) at 48 hpf. In adult zebrafish, the expressions of ZB and PS in muscle and brain are much higher than in other tissues. Our study results indicate that ZB and PS transposons may be involved in the embryonic development and regulation of somatic cells of certain adult tissues, such as the brain and muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yali Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, China
| | - Dan Shen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, China
| | - Numan Ullah
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, China
| | - Mohamed Diaby
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, China
| | - Bo Gao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, China
| | - Chengyi Song
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, China.
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Shen D, Song C, Miskey C, Chan S, Guan Z, Sang Y, Wang Y, Chen C, Wang X, Müller F, Ivics Z, Gao B. A native, highly active Tc1/mariner transposon from zebrafish (ZB) offers an efficient genetic manipulation tool for vertebrates. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:2126-2140. [PMID: 33638993 PMCID: PMC7913693 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
New genetic tools and strategies are currently under development to facilitate functional genomics analyses. Here, we describe an active member of the Tc1/mariner transposon superfamily, named ZB, which invaded the zebrafish genome very recently. ZB exhibits high activity in vertebrate cells, in the range of those of the widely used transposons piggyBac (PB), Sleeping Beauty (SB) and Tol2. ZB has a similar structural organization and target site sequence preference to SB, but a different integration profile with respect to genome-wide preference among mammalian functional annotation features. Namely, ZB displays a preference for integration into transcriptional regulatory regions of genes. Accordingly, we demonstrate the utility of ZB for enhancer trapping in zebrafish embryos and in the mouse germline. These results indicate that ZB may be a powerful tool for genetic manipulation in vertebrate model species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Shen
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen 63225, Germany
| | - Chengyi Song
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Csaba Miskey
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen 63225, Germany
| | - Shuheng Chan
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Zhongxia Guan
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Yatong Sang
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Yali Wang
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Cai Chen
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wang
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Ferenc Müller
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Zoltán Ivics
- Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen 63225, Germany
| | - Bo Gao
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
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9
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Palazzo A, Marsano RM. Transposable elements: a jump toward the future of expression vectors. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2021; 41:792-808. [PMID: 33622117 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2021.1888067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Expression vectors (EVs) are artificial nucleic acid molecules with a modular structure that allows for the transcription of DNA sequences of interest in either cellular or cell-free environments. These vectors have emerged as cross-disciplinary tools with multiple applications in an expanding Life Sciences market. The cis-regulatory sequences (CRSs) that control the transcription in EVs are typically sourced from either viruses or from characterized genes. However, the recent advancement in transposable elements (TEs) technology provides attractive alternatives that may enable a significant improvement in the design of EVs. Commonly known as "jumping genes," due to their ability to move between genetic loci, TEs are constitutive components of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes. TEs harbor native CRSs that allow the regulated transcription of transposition-related genes. However, some TE-related CRSs display striking characteristics, which provides the opportunity to reconsider TEs as lead actors in the design of EVs. In this article, we provide a synopsis of the transcriptional control elements commonly found in EVs together with an extensive discussion of their advantages and limitations. We also highlight the latest findings that may allow for the implementation of TE-derived sequences in the EVs feasible, possibly improving existing vectors. By introducing this new concept of TEs as a source of regulatory sequences, we aim to stimulate a profitable discussion of the potential advantages and benefits of developing a new generation of EVs based on the use of TE-derived control sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Palazzo
- Laboratory of Translational Nanotechnology, "Istituto Tumori Giovanni Paolo II" I.R.C.C.S, Bari, Italy
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Palazzo A, Escuder E, D'Addabbo P, Lovero D, Marsano RM. A genomic survey of Tc1-mariner transposons in nematodes suggests extensive horizontal transposon transfer events. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2021; 158:107090. [PMID: 33545274 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The number of reports concerning horizontal transposon transfers (HTT) in metazoan species is considerably increased, alongside with the exponential growth of genomic sequence data However, our understanding of the mechanisms of such phenomenon is still at an early stage. Nematodes constitute an animal phylum successfully adapted to almost every ecosystem and for this reason could potentially contribute to spreading the genetic information through horizontal transfer. To date, few studies describe HTT of nematode retrotransposons. This is due to the lack of annotation of transposable elements in the sequenced nematode genomes, especially DNA transposons, which are acknowledged as the best horizontal travelers among mobile sequences. We have therefore started a survey of DNA transposons and their possible involvement in HTT in sequenced nematode genomes. Here, we describe 83 new Tc1/mariner elements distributed in 17 nematode species. Among them, nine families were possibly horizontally transferred between nematodes and the most diverse animal species, including ants as preferred partner of HTT. The results obtained suggest that HTT events involving nematodes Tc1/mariner elements are not uncommon, and that nematodes could have a possible role as transposon reservoir that, in turn, can be redistributed among animal genomes. Overall, this could be relevant to understand how the inter-species genetic flows shape the landscape of genetic variation of organisms inhabiting specific environmental communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Palazzo
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Elsa Escuder
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Pietro D'Addabbo
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Domenica Lovero
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche ed Oncologia Umana (DIMO), Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
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11
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Complex Evolutionary History of Mboumar, a Mariner Element Widely Represented in Ant Genomes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2610. [PMID: 32054918 PMCID: PMC7018970 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59422-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mboumar-9 is an active mariner-transposable element previously isolated in the ant Messor bouvieri. In this work, a mariner-like element, Mboumar, isolated from 22 species of ants, is analyzed. These species belong to nine different subfamilies, including Leptanillinae, the most primitive ant subfamily, and Myrmicinae and Formicidae, the most derived ones. Consequently, Mboumar-like elements seem to be well-represented in ant genomes. The phylogenetic tree drawn for mariner elements is highly inconsistent with the phylogeny of host ants, with almost identical elements found in clearly distant species and, on the contrary, more variable elements in closely related species. The inconsistency between the two phylogenetic trees indicates that these transposable elements have evolved independently from the speciation events of the ants that host them. Besides, we found closer genetic relationships among elements than among their host ants. We also found potential coding copies with an uninterrupted open reading frame of 345 aa in 11 species. The putative transposase codified by them showed a high sequence identity with the active Mboumar-9 transposase. The results of selection tests suggest the intervention of purifying selection in the evolution of these elements. Overall, our study suggests a complex evolutionary history of the Mboumar-like mariner in ants, with important participation of horizontal transfer events. We also suggest that the evolutionary dynamics of Mboumar-like elements can be influenced by the genetic system of their host ants, which are eusocial insects with a haplodiploid genetic system.
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Moschetti R, Palazzo A, Lorusso P, Viggiano L, Massimiliano Marsano R. "What You Need, Baby, I Got It": Transposable Elements as Suppliers of Cis-Operating Sequences in Drosophila. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:E25. [PMID: 32028630 PMCID: PMC7168160 DOI: 10.3390/biology9020025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are constitutive components of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes. The role of TEs in the evolution of genes and genomes has been widely assessed over the past years in a variety of model and non-model organisms. Drosophila is undoubtedly among the most powerful model organisms used for the purpose of studying the role of transposons and their effects on the stability and evolution of genes and genomes. Besides their most intuitive role as insertional mutagens, TEs can modify the transcriptional pattern of host genes by juxtaposing new cis-regulatory sequences. A key element of TE biology is that they carry transcriptional control elements that fine-tune the transcription of their own genes, but that can also perturb the transcriptional activity of neighboring host genes. From this perspective, the transposition-mediated modulation of gene expression is an important issue for the short-term adaptation of physiological functions to the environmental changes, and for long-term evolutionary changes. Here, we review the current literature concerning the regulatory and structural elements operating in cis provided by TEs in Drosophila. Furthermore, we highlight that, besides their influence on both TEs and host genes expression, they can affect the chromatin structure and epigenetic status as well as both the chromosome's structure and stability. It emerges that Drosophila is a good model organism to study the effect of TE-linked regulatory sequences, and it could help future studies on TE-host interactions in any complex eukaryotic genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Moschetti
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; (R.M.); (P.L.); (L.V.)
| | - Antonio Palazzo
- Laboratory of Translational Nanotechnology, “Istituto Tumori Giovanni Paolo II” I.R.C.C.S, Viale Orazio Flacco 65, 70125 Bari, Italy;
| | - Patrizio Lorusso
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; (R.M.); (P.L.); (L.V.)
| | - Luigi Viggiano
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; (R.M.); (P.L.); (L.V.)
| | - René Massimiliano Marsano
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy; (R.M.); (P.L.); (L.V.)
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13
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Palazzo A, Lorusso P, Miskey C, Walisko O, Gerbino A, Marobbio CMT, Ivics Z, Marsano RM. Transcriptionally promiscuous "blurry" promoters in Tc1/ mariner transposons allow transcription in distantly related genomes. Mob DNA 2019; 10:13. [PMID: 30988701 PMCID: PMC6446368 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-019-0155-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background We have recently described a peculiar feature of the promoters in two Drosophila Tc1-like elements, Bari1 and Bari3. The AT-richness and the presence of weak core-promoter motifs make these promoters, that we have defined “blurry”, able to activate transcription of a reporter gene in cellular systems as diverse as fly, human, yeast and bacteria. In order to clarify whether the blurry promoter is a specific feature of the Bari transposon family, we have extended this study to promoters isolated from three additional DNA transposon and from two additional LTR retrotransposons. Results Here we show that the blurry promoter is also a feature of two vertebrate transposable elements, Sleeping Beauty and Hsmar1, belonging to the Tc1/mariner superfamily. In contrast, this feature is not shared by the promoter of the hobo transposon, which belongs to the hAT superfamily, nor by LTR retrotransposon-derived promoters, which, in general, do not activate transcription when introduced into non-related genomes. Conclusions Our results suggest that the blurry promoter could be a shared feature of the members of the Tc1/mariner superfamily with possible evolutionary and biotechnological implications. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13100-019-0155-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Palazzo
- 1Department of Biology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy.,Present address: Laboratory of Translational Nanotechnology, "Istituto Tumori Giovanni Paolo II" I.R.C.C.S, Viale Orazio Flacco 65, 70125 Bari, Italy
| | - Patrizio Lorusso
- 1Department of Biology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
| | - Csaba Miskey
- 2Transposition and Genome Engineering, Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen, Germany
| | - Oliver Walisko
- 2Transposition and Genome Engineering, Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen, Germany
| | - Andrea Gerbino
- 3Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
| | | | - Zoltán Ivics
- 2Transposition and Genome Engineering, Division of Medical Biotechnology, Paul Ehrlich Institute, Langen, Germany
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Palazzo A, Caizzi R, Viggiano L, Marsano RM. Does the Promoter Constitute a Barrier in the Horizontal Transposon Transfer Process? Insight from Bari Transposons. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 9:1637-1645. [PMID: 28854630 PMCID: PMC5570127 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The contribution of the transposons’ promoter in the horizontal transfer process is quite overlooked in the scientific literature. To shed light on this aspect we have mimicked the horizontal transfer process in laboratory and assayed in a wide range of hosts (fly, human, yeast and bacteria) the promoter activity of the 5′ terminal sequences in Bari1 and Bari3, two Drosophila transposons belonging to the Tc1-mariner superfamily. These sequences are able to drive the transcription of a reporter gene even in distantly related organisms at least at the episomal level. By combining bioinformatics and experimental approaches, we define two distinct promoter sequences for each terminal sequence analyzed, which allow transcriptional activity in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, respectively. We propose that the Bari family of transposons, and possibly other members of the Tc1-mariner superfamily, might have evolved “blurry promoters,” which have facilitated their diffusion in many living organisms through horizontal transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Palazzo
- Department of Biology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro," Italy
| | - Ruggiero Caizzi
- Department of Biology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro," Italy
| | - Luigi Viggiano
- Department of Biology, University of Bari "Aldo Moro," Italy
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15
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McGurk MP, Barbash DA. Double insertion of transposable elements provides a substrate for the evolution of satellite DNA. Genome Res 2018; 28:714-725. [PMID: 29588362 PMCID: PMC5932611 DOI: 10.1101/gr.231472.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic genomes are replete with repeated sequences in the form of transposable elements (TEs) dispersed across the genome or as satellite arrays, large stretches of tandemly repeated sequences. Many satellites clearly originated as TEs, but it is unclear how mobile genetic parasites can transform into megabase-sized tandem arrays. Comprehensive population genomic sampling is needed to determine the frequency and generative mechanisms of tandem TEs, at all stages from their initial formation to their subsequent expansion and maintenance as satellites. The best available population resources, short-read DNA sequences, are often considered to be of limited utility for analyzing repetitive DNA due to the challenge of mapping individual repeats to unique genomic locations. Here we develop a new pipeline called ConTExt that demonstrates that paired-end Illumina data can be successfully leveraged to identify a wide range of structural variation within repetitive sequence, including tandem elements. By analyzing 85 genomes from five populations of Drosophila melanogaster, we discover that TEs commonly form tandem dimers. Our results further suggest that insertion site preference is the major mechanism by which dimers arise and that, consequently, dimers form rapidly during periods of active transposition. This abundance of TE dimers has the potential to provide source material for future expansion into satellite arrays, and we discover one such copy number expansion of the DNA transposon hobo to approximately 16 tandem copies in a single line. The very process that defines TEs—transposition—thus regularly generates sequences from which new satellites can arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P McGurk
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Daniel A Barbash
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
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16
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McCullers TJ, Steiniger M. Transposable elements in Drosophila. Mob Genet Elements 2017; 7:1-18. [PMID: 28580197 PMCID: PMC5443660 DOI: 10.1080/2159256x.2017.1318201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Revised: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic elements that can mobilize within host genomes. As TEs comprise more than 40% of the human genome and are linked to numerous diseases, understanding their mechanisms of mobilization and regulation is important. Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal model organism for the study of eukaryotic TEs as its genome contains a diverse array of active TEs. TEs universally impact host genome size via transposition and deletion events, but may also adopt unique functional roles in host organisms. There are 2 main classes of TEs: DNA transposons and retrotransposons. These classes are further divided into subgroups of TEs with unique structural and functional characteristics, demonstrating the significant variability among these elements. Despite this variability, D. melanogaster and other eukaryotic organisms utilize conserved mechanisms to regulate TEs. This review focuses on the transposition mechanisms and regulatory pathways of TEs, and their functional roles in D. melanogaster.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mindy Steiniger
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO, USA
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