Local mutagenic impact of insertions of LTR retrotransposons on the mouse genome

Type Article
Date 2006-11
Language English
Author(s) Desmarais Erick1, Belkhir Khalid1, Garza John Carlos2, Bonhomme Francois1, 3, 4
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Montpellier 2, CNRS, IFREMER, Lab Genome Populat Interact Adaptat,UMR5171, F-34095 Montpellier, France.
2 : SW Fisheries Sci Ctr, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA.
Source Journal of Molecular Evolution (0022-2844) (Springer), 2006-11 , Vol. 63 , N. 5 , P. 662-675
DOI 10.1007/s00239-005-0301-2
Keyword(s) RMER10, Simple tandem repeats, LTR retrotransposons, Mouse genome
Abstract Solitary LTR loci are the predominant form of LTR retrotransposons in most eukaryotic genomes. They originate from recombination between the two LTRs of an ancestral retrovirus and are therefore incapable of transposition. Despite this inactivity, they appear to have a substantial impact on the host genome. Here we use the murine RMER10 LTR family as an example to describe how such elements can reshape regions of the genome through multiple mutations on an evolutionary time scale. Specifically, we use phylogenetic analysis of multiple copies of RMER10 in rodent species, as well as comparisons of orthologous pairs in mouse and rat, to argue that insertions of members of this family have locally induced the emergence of tandem repeat loci as well as many indels. Analysis of structural aspects of these sequences (secondary structures and transcription factors signals) may explain why RMER10 can become endogenous "mutagenic" factors through induction of replication fork blockages and/or error-prone repair of aberrant DNA structures. This hypothesis is also consistent with features of other interspersed repeated elements.
Full Text
File Pages Size Access
publication-2091.pdf 32 523 KB Open access
Top of the page