Characterization of new transposable element sub-families from white clover (Trifolium repens) using PCR amplification.

Transposable elements (TEs) dominate the landscapes of most plant and animal genomes. Once considered junk DNA and genetic parasites, these interspersed, repetitive DNA elements are now known to play major roles in both genetic and epigenetic processes that sponsor genome variation and regulate gene expression. Knowledge of TE consensus sequences from elements in species whose genomes have not been sequenced is limited, and the individual TEs that are encountered in clones or short-reads rarely represent potentially canonical, let alone, functional representatives.

Computational and experimental analyses of retrotransposon-associated minisatellite DNAs in the soybean genome.

Background: Retrotransposons are mobile DNA elements that spread through genomes via the action of element-encoded reverse transcriptases. They are ubiquitous constituents of most eukaryotic genomes, especially those of higher plants. The pericentromeric regions of soybean (Glycine max) chromosomes contain >3,200 intact copies of the Gmr9/GmOgre retrotransposon.

Evolutionary conservation, diversity and specificity of LTR-retrotransposons in flowering plants: insights from genome-wide analysis and multi-specific comparison.

The availability of complete or nearly complete genome sequences from several plant species permits detailed discovery and cross-species comparison of transposable elements (TEs) at the whole genome level. We initially investigated 510 long terminal repeat-retrotransposon (LTR-RT) families comprising 32370 elements in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.

A shotgun approach to discovering and reconstructing consensus retrotransposons ex novo from dense contigs of short sequences derived from Genbank Genome Survey Sequence database records.

Retrotransposons constitute the majority of pseudogenic protein coding regions of most eukaryotic genomes. Most genomes carry tens to thousands of retrotransposon copies derived from dozens of distinct families, but most if not all of these copies are non-functional and contain disabling mutations, including large numbers of indels. Until recently, most regions rich in these elements were virtually ignored in all but the most complete genome sequencing projects, and the full extent of their impact on the structure and function of the genomes of higher eukaryotes was under-appreciated.

Analysis of insertional sites of the SIRE1 retroelement family from Glycine max using GenBank BAC-end sequences.

SIRE1 is a 2000-copy member of the Ty1/copia retroelement family found in the soybean genome and is closely related to sireviruses found in the genomes of other legumes. Although these elements closely resemble typical plant members of the Ty1/copia family, they are unusual in that they possess an envelope-like coding region immediately downstream of the reverse transcriptase gene. Despite its copy number, very few members of the SIRE1 family are currently present in publicly available genomic assemblies or draft contigs.

Diaspora, a large family of Ty3-gypsy retrotransposons in Glycine max, is an envelope-less member of an endogenous plant retrovirus lineage.

Background: The chromosomes of higher plants are littered with retrotransposons that, in many cases, constitute as much as 80% of plant genomes. Long terminal repeat retrotransposons have been especially successful colonizers of the chromosomes of higher plants and examinations of their function, evolution, and dispersal are essential to understanding the evolution of eukaryotic genomes. In soybean, several families of retrotransposons have been identified, including at least two that, by virtue of the presence of an envelope-like gene, may constitute endogenous retroviruses.

SIRE1, an endogenous retrovirus family from Glycine max, is highly homogeneous and evolutionarily young.

SIRE1 is unusual among Ty1-copia retrotransposons in that it has an additional open reading frame with structural features similar to retroviral envelope proteins between pol and the 3' LTR. Here we report the characterization and comparison of eight different SIRE1 elements derived from a soybean genomic library, as well as SIRE1 reverse transcriptases from Glycine soja. The DNA sequences of the eight SIRE1 elements are highly homogeneous and share greater than 95% nucleotide identity.