Total DNA transcription in vitro: a procedure to detect highly repetitive and transcribable sequences with tRNA-like structures

SINEs as Credible Signs to Prove Common Ancestry in the Tree of Life: A Brief Review of Pioneering Case Studies in Retroposon Systematics

Currently, the insertions of SINEs (and other retrotransposed elements) are regarded as one of the most reliable synapomorphies in molecular systematics. The methodological mainstream of molecular systematics is the calculation of nucleotide (or amino acid) sequence divergences under a suitable substitution model. In contrast, SINE insertion analysis does not require any complex model because SINE insertions are unidirectional and irreversible. This straightforward methodology was named the “SINE method,” which resolved various taxonomic issues that could not be settled by sequence comparison alone. The SINE method has challenged several traditional hypotheses proposed based on the fossil record and anatomy, prompting constructive discussions in the Evo/Devo era. Here, we review our pioneering SINE studies on salmon, cichlids, cetaceans, Afrotherian mammals, and birds. We emphasize the power of the SINE method in detecting incomplete lineage sorting by tracing the genealogy of specific genomic loci with minimal noise. Finally, in the context of the whole-genome era, we discuss how the SINE method can be applied to further our understanding of the tree of life.

Consequence of Paradigm Shift with Repeat Landscapes in Reptiles: Powerful Facilitators of Chromosomal Rearrangements for Diversity and Evolution

Reptiles are notable for the extensive genomic diversity and species richness among amniote classes, but there is nevertheless a need for detailed genome-scale studies. Although the monophyletic amniotes have recently been a focus of attention through an increasing number of genome sequencing projects, the abundant repetitive portion of the genome, termed the "repeatome", remains poorly understood across different lineages. Consisting predominantly of transposable elements or mobile and satellite sequences, these repeat elements are considered crucial in causing chromosomal rearrangements that lead to genomic diversity and evolution. Here, we propose major repeat landscapes in representative reptilian species, highlighting their evolutionary dynamics and role in mediating chromosomal rearrangements. Distinct karyotype variability, which is typically a conspicuous feature of reptile genomes, is discussed, with a particular focus on rearrangements correlated with evolutionary reorganization of micro- and macrochromosomes and sex chromosomes. The exceptional karyotype variation and extreme genomic diversity of reptiles are used to test several hypotheses concerning genomic structure, function, and evolution.

Evolution and Diversity of Transposable Elements in Vertebrate Genomes

Transposable elements (TEs) are selfish genetic elements that mobilize in genomes via transposition or retrotransposition and often make up large fractions of vertebrate genomes. Here, we review the current understanding of vertebrate TE diversity and evolution in the context of recent advances in genome sequencing and assembly techniques. TEs make up 4-60% of assembled vertebrate genomes, and deeply branching lineages such as ray-finned fishes and amphibians generally exhibit a higher TE diversity than the more recent radiations of birds and mammals. Furthermore, the list of taxa with exceptional TE landscapes is growing. We emphasize that the current bottleneck in genome analyses lies in the proper annotation of TEs and provide examples where superficial analyses led to misleading conclusions about genome evolution. Finally, recent advances in long-read sequencing will soon permit access to TE-rich genomic regions that previously resisted assembly including the gigantic, TE-rich genomes of salamanders and lungfishes.

RNA-Mediated Gene Duplication and Retroposons: Retrogenes, LINEs, SINEs, and Sequence Specificity

A substantial number of “retrogenes” that are derived from the mRNA of various intron-containing genes have been reported. A class of mammalian retroposons, long interspersed element-1 (LINE1, L1), has been shown to be involved in the reverse transcription of retrogenes (or processed pseudogenes) and non-autonomous short interspersed elements (SINEs). The 3′-end sequences of various SINEs originated from a corresponding LINE. As the 3′-untranslated regions of several LINEs are essential for retroposition, these LINEs presumably require “stringent” recognition of the 3′-end sequence of the RNA template. However, the 3′-ends of mammalian L1s do not exhibit any similarity to SINEs, except for the presence of 3′-poly(A) repeats. Since the 3′-poly(A) repeats of L1 and Alu SINE are critical for their retroposition, L1 probably recognizes the poly(A) repeats, thereby mobilizing not only Alu SINE but also cytosolic mRNA. Many flowering plants only harbor L1-clade LINEs and a significant number of SINEs with poly(A) repeats, but no homology to the LINEs. Moreover, processed pseudogenes have also been found in flowering plants. I propose that the ancestral L1-clade LINE in the common ancestor of green plants may have recognized a specific RNA template, with stringent recognition then becoming relaxed during the course of plant evolution.

SINEs

Short interspersed elements (SINEs) are mobile genetic elements that invade the genomes of many eukaryotes. Since their discovery about 30 years ago, many gaps in our understanding of the biology and function of SINEs have been filled. This review summarizes the past and recent advances in the studies of SINEs. The structure and origin of SINEs as well as the processes involved in their amplification, transcription, RNA processing, reverse transcription, and integration of a SINE copy into the genome are considered. Then we focus on the significance of SINEs for the host genomes. While these genomic parasites can be deleterious to the cell, the long-term being in the genome has made SINEs a valuable source of genetic variation providing regulatory elements for gene expression, alternative splice sites, polyadenylation signals, and even functional RNA genes.

Bead-probe complex capture a couple of SINE and LINE family from genomes of two closely related species of East Asian cyprinid directly using magnetic separation

Background

Short and long interspersed elements (SINEs and LINEs, respectively), two types of retroposons, are active in shaping the architecture of genomes and powerful tools for studies of phylogeny and population biology. Here we developed special protocol to apply biotin-streptavidin bead system into isolation of interspersed repeated sequences rapidly and efficiently, in which SINEs and LINEs were captured directly from digested genomic DNA by hybridization to bead-probe complex in solution instead of traditional strategy including genomic library construction and screening.

Results

A new couple of SINEs and LINEs that shared an almost identical 3'tail was isolated and characterized in silver carp and bighead carp of two closely related species. These SINEs (34 members), designated HAmo SINE family, were little divergent in sequence and flanked by obvious TSD indicated that HAmo SINE was very young family. The copy numbers of this family was estimated to 2 × 10⁵ and 1.7 × 10⁵ per haploid genome by Real-Time qPCR, respectively. The LINEs, identified as the homologs of LINE2 in other fishes, had a conserved primary sequence and secondary structures of the 3'tail region that was almost identical to that of HAmo SINE. These evidences suggest that HAmo SINEs are active and amplified recently utilizing the enzymatic machinery for retroposition of HAmoL2 through the recognition of higher-order structures of the conserved 42-tail region. We analyzed the possible structures of HAmo SINE that lead to successful amplification in genome and then deduced that HAmo SINE, SmaI SINE and FokI SINE that were similar in sequence each other, were probably generated independently and created by LINE family within the same lineage of a LINE phylogeny in the genomes of different hosts.

Conclusion

The presented results show the advantage of the novel method for retroposons isolation and a pair of young SINE family and its partner LINE family in two carp fishes, which strengthened the hypotheses containing the slippage model for initiation of reverse transcription, retropositional parasitism of SINEs on LINEs, the formation of the stem loop structure in 3'tail region of some SINEs and LINEs and the mechanism of template switching in generating new SINE family.

SINEs of speciation: tracking lineages with retroposons

The value of short interspersed elements (SINEs) for diagnosing common ancestry is being expanded to examine the differential sorting of lineages through the course of speciation events. Because most SINEs are neutral markers of identical descent, are not precisely excised from the genome and have a known ancestral condition, they are advantageous for reconciling gene trees and species trees with minimal phylogenetic error. A population perspective on SINE evolution combined with coalescence theory provides a context for investigating the phenomenon of ancestral polymorphism and its role in producing incongruent SINE insertion patterns among multiple loci. Studies of human Alu repeats demonstrate the value of young polymorphic SINEs for assessing human genomic diversity and tracking ancient demographics of human populations, whereas incongruent insertion patterns revealed by older fixed SINE loci, such as those in African cichlid fishes, contain information that might help identify ancient radiations that are otherwise obscured by accumulated mutations in sequence data. Here, we review the utility of retroposons for inferring common ancestry, discuss limits to the method, and clarify confusion by providing examples from the literature that illustrate how discordant multi-locus insertion patterns of retroelements can indicate lineage-sorting events that should not be misinterpreted as phylogenetic noise.

Extensive Morphological Convergence and Rapid Radiation in the Evolutionary History of the Family Geoemydidae (Old World Pond Turtles) Revealed by SINE Insertion Analysis

The family Geoemydidae is one of three in the superfamily Testudinoidea and is the most diversified family of extant turtle species. The phylogenetic relationships in this family and among related families have been vigorously investigated from both morphological and molecular viewpoints. The evolutionary history of Geoemydidae, however, remains controversial. Therefore, to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of Geoemydidae and related species, we applied the SINE insertion method to investigate 49 informative SINE loci in 28 species. We detected four major evolutionary lineages (Testudinidae, Batagur group, Siebenrockiella group, and Geoemyda group) in the clade Testuguria (a clade of Geoemydidae + Testudinidae). All five specimens of Testudinidae form a monophyletic clade. The Batagur group comprises five batagurines. The Siebenrockiella group has one species, Siebenrockiella crassicollis. The Geoemyda group comprises 15 geoemydines (including three former batagurines, Mauremys reevesii, Mauremys sinensis, and Heosemys annandalii). Among these four groups, the SINE insertion patterns were inconsistent at four loci, suggesting that an ancestral species of Testuguria radiated and rapidly diverged into the four lineages during the initial stage of its evolution. Furthermore, within the Geoemyda group we identified three evolutionary lineages, namely Mauremys, Cuora, and Heosemys. The Heosemys lineage comprises Heosemys, Sacalia, Notochelys, and Melanochelys species, and its monophyly is a novel assemblage in Geoemydidae. Our SINE phylogenetic tree demonstrates extensive convergent morphological evolution between the Batagur group and the three species of the Geoemyda group, M. reevesii, M. sinensis, and H. annandalii.

SINEs of progress: Mobile element applications to molecular ecology

Mobile elements represent a unique and under-utilized set of tools for molecular ecologists. They are essentially homoplasy-free characters with the ability to be genotyped in a simple and efficient manner. Interpretation of the data generated using mobile elements can be simple compared to other genetic markers. They exist in a wide variety of taxa and are useful over a wide selection of temporal ranges within those taxa. Furthermore, their mode of evolution instills them with another advantage over other types of multilocus genotype data: the ability to determine loci applicable to a range of time spans in the history of a taxon. In this review, I discuss the application of mobile element markers, especially short interspersed elements (SINEs), to phylogenetic and population data, with an emphasis on potential applications to molecular ecology.

Two new SINE elements, p-SINE2 and p-SINE3, from rice

p-SINE1 was the first plant SINE element identified in the Waxy gene in Oryza sativa, and since then a large number of p-SINE1-family members have been identified from rice species with the AA or non-AA genome. In this paper, we report two new rice SINE elements, designated p-SINE2 and p-SINE3, which form distinct families from that of p-SINE1. Each of the two new elements is significantly homologous to p-SINE1 in their 5'-end regions with that of the polymerase III promoter (A box and B box), but not significantly homologous in the 3'-end regions, although they all have a T-rich tail at the 3' terminus. Despite the three elements sharing minimal homology in their 3'-end regions, the deduced RNA secondary structures of p-SINE1, p-SINE2 and p-SINE3 were found to be similar to one another, such that a stem-loop structure seen in the 3'-end region of each element is well conserved, suggesting that the structure has an important role on the p-SINE retroposition. These findings suggest that the three p-SINE elements originated from a common ancestor. Similar to members of the p-SINE1 family, the members of p-SINE2 or p-SINE3 are almost randomly dispersed in each of the 12 rice chromosomes, but appear to be preferentially inserted into gene-rich regions. The p-SINE2 members were present at respective loci not only in the strains of the species with the AA genome in the O. sativa complex, but also in those of other species with the BB, CC, DD, or EE genome in the O. officinalis complex. The p-SINE3 members were, however, only present in strains of species in the O. sativa complex. These findings suggest that p-SINE2 originated in an ancestral species with the AA, BB, CC, DD and EE genomes, like p-SINE1, whereas p-SINE3 originated in an ancestral strain of the species with the AA genome. The nucleotide sequences of p-SINE1 members are more divergent than those of p-SINE2 or p-SINE3, indicating that p-SINE1 is likely to be older than p-SINE2 and p-SINE3. This suggests that p-SINE2 and p-SINE3 have been derived from p-SINE1.

Sauria SINEs: Novel short interspersed retroposable elements that are widespread in reptile genomes

SINEs are short interspersed retrotransposable elements that invade new genomic sites. Their retrotransposition depends on reverse transcriptase and endonuclease activities encoded by partner LINEs (long interspersed elements). Recent genomic research has demonstrated that retroposons account for at least 40% of the human genome. Hitherto, more than 30 families of SINEs have been characterized in mammalian genomes, comprising approximately 4600 extant species; the distribution and extent of SINEs in reptilian genomes, however, are poorly documented. With more than 7400 species of lizards and snakes, Squamata constitutes the largest and most diverse group of living reptiles. We have discovered and characterized a novel SINE family, Sauria SINEs, whose members are widely distributed among genomes of lizards, snakes, and tuataras. Sauria SINEs comprise a 5' tRNA-related region, a tRNA-unrelated region, and a 3' tail region (containing short tandem repeats) derived from LINEs. We distinguished eight Sauria SINE subfamilies in genomes of four major squamate lineages and investigated their evolutionary relationships. Our data illustrate the overall efficacy of Sauria SINEs as novel retrotransposable markers for elucidation of squamate evolutionary history. We show that all Sauria SINEs share an identical 3' sequence with Bov-B LINEs and propose that they utilize the enzymatic machinery of Bov-B LINEs for their own retrotransposition. This finding, along with the ubiquity of Bov-B LINEs previously demonstrated in squamate genomes, suggests that these LINEs have been an active partner of Sauria SINEs since this SINE family was generated more than 200 million years ago.

SINEs and LINEs: symbionts of eukaryotic genomes with a common tail

Many SINEs and LINEs have been characterized to date, and examples of the SINE and LINE pair that have the same 3' end sequence have also increased. We report the phylogenetic relationships of nearly all known LINEs from which SINEs are derived, including a new example of a SINE/LINE pair identified in the salmon genome. We also use several biological examples to discuss the impact and significance of SINEs and LINEs in the evolution of vertebrate genomes.

Isolation and Characterization of Active LINE and SINEs from the Eel

Long interspersed elements (LINEs) and short interspersed elements (SINEs) are retrotransposons. These elements can mobilize by the "copy-and-paste" mechanism, in which their own RNA is reverse-transcribed into complementary DNA (cDNA). LINEs and SINEs not only are components of eukaryotic genomes but also drivers of genomic evolution. Thus, studies of the amplification mechanism of LINEs and SINEs are important for understanding eukaryotic genome evolution. Here we report the characterization of one LINE family (UnaL2) and two SINE families (UnaSINE1 and UnaSINE2) from the eel (Anguilla japonica) genome. UnaL2 is approximately 3.6 kilobases (kb) and encodes only one open reading frame (ORF). UnaL2 belongs to the stringent type--thought to be a major group of LINEs--and can mobilize in HeLa cells. We also show that UnaL2 and the two UnaSINEs have similar 3' tails, and that both UnaSINE1 and UnaSINE2 can be mobilized by UnaL2 in HeLa cells. These elements are thus useful for delineating the amplification mechanism of stringent type LINEs as well as that of SINEs.

First application of the SINE (short interspersed repetitive element) method to infer phylogenetic relationships in reptiles: an example from the turtle superfamily Testudinoidea

Although turtles (order Testudines) constitute one of the major reptile groups, their phylogenetic relationships remain largely unresolved. Hence, we attempted to elucidate their phylogeny using the SINE (short interspersed repetitive element) method, in which the sharing of a SINE at orthologous loci is indicative of synapomorphy. First, a detailed characterization of the tortoise polIII/SINE was conducted using 10 species from eight families of hidden-necked turtles (suborder Cryptodira). Our analysis of 382 SINE sequences newly isolated in the present study revealed two subgroups, namely Cry I and Cry II, which were distinguishable according to diagnostic nucleotides in the 3' region. Furthermore, four (IA-ID) and five (IIA-IIE) different SINE types were identified within Cry I and Cry II subgroups, respectively, based on features of insertions/deletions located in the middle of the SINE sequences. The relative frequency of occurrence of the subgroups and the types of SINEs in this family were highly variable among different lineages of turtles, suggesting active differential retroposition in each lineage. Further application of the SINE method using the most retrotranspositionally active types, namely IB and IC, challenged the established phylogenetic relationships of Bataguridae and its related families. The data for 11 orthologous loci demonstrated a close relationship between Bataguridae and Testudinidae, as well as the presence of the three clades within Bataguridae. Although the SINE method has been used to infer the phylogenies of a number of vertebrate groups, it has never been applied to reptiles. The present study represents the first application of this method to a phylogenetic analysis of this class of vertebrates, and it provides detailed information on the SINE subgroups and types. This information may be applied to the phylogenetic resolution of relevant turtle lineages.

Characterization of novel Alu- and tRNA-related SINEs from the tree shrew and evolutionary implications of their origins

We characterized two novel 7SL RNA-derived short interspersed nuclear element (SINE) families (Tu types I and II) and a novel tRNA-derived SINE family (Tu type III) from the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri). Tu type I contains a monomer unit of a 7SL RNA-derived Alu-like sequence and a tRNA-derived region that includes internal RNA polymerase III promoters. Tu type II has a similar hybrid structure, although the monomer unit of the 7SL RNA-derived sequence is replaced by a dimer. Along with the primate Alu, the galago Alu type II, and the rodent B1, these two families represent the fourth and fifth 7SL RNA-derived SINE families to be identified. Furthermore, comparison of the Alu domains of Tu types I and II with those of other 7SL RNA-derived SINEs reveals that the nucleotides responsible for stabilization of the Alu domain have been conserved during evolution, providing the possibility that these conserved nucleotides play an indispensable role in retropositional activity. Evolutionary relationships among these 7SL RNA-derived SINE families, as well as phylogenetic relationships of their host species, are discussed.

LINEs mobilize SINEs in the eel through a shared 3' sequence

We characterized members of the LINE (UnaL2) and SINE (UnaSINE1) families from the eel genome and found that these LINE/SINE partners share similar 3' tails. A retrotransposition assay in HeLa cells demonstrated that the 3' conserved tail of UnaL2 is necessary for its retrotransposition. This 3' tail is recognized in trans by the UnaL2 reverse transcriptase at a surprisingly high rate, and that of UnaSINE1 can also be recognized, thus providing experimental evidence that a SINE can be mobilized by the retrotransposition machinery of a partner LINE. We also demonstrated that short repeats at the 3' end of UnaL2 are required for retrotransposition suggesting that UnaL2 retrotransposes in a manner reminiscent of the reverse transcriptase activity of telomerases.

SINE insertions: powerful tools for molecular systematics

Short interspersed repetitive elements, or SINEs, are tRNA-derived retroposons that are dispersed throughout eukaryotic genomes and can be present in well over 10(4) total copies. The enormous volume of SINE amplifications per organism makes them important evolutionary agents for shaping the diversity of genomes, and the irreversible, independent nature of their insertion allows them to be used for diagnosing common ancestry among host taxa with extreme confidence. As such, they represent a powerful new tool for systematic biology that can be strategically integrated with other conventional phylogenetic characters, most notably morphology and DNA sequences. This review covers the basic aspects of SINE evolution that are especially relevant to their use as systematic characters and describes the practical methods of characterizing SINEs for cladogram construction. It also discusses the limits of their systematic utility, clarifies some recently published misunderstandings, and illustrates the effective application of SINEs for vertebrate phylogenetics with results from selected case studies. BioEssays 22:148-160, 2000.

Characterization of repetitive DNA sequences carrying 5S rDNA of the triploid ginbuna (Japanese silver crucian carp, Carassius auratus langsdorfi)

Repetitive DNA sequences (Hi-b; 209 bp in length) were isolated from the HindIII digests of the genomic DNA of the triploid ginbuna, Carassius auratus langsdorfi. Sequence analyses revealed that the Hi-b repetitive units were comprised of the complete coding regions of 5S rDNA (120 bp in size) and their 5'flanking regions. The sequences of the Hi-b units from the same individual were highly homogeneous. Southern blot hybridization to the Hi-b probe displayed intricate patterns that represented the presence of other repetitive units containing the Hi-b related sequences. A major family of repetitive sequences related to the Hi-b was then obtained by the polymerase chain reaction using asymmetry primers for the 5S coding regions. These 331-bp sequences (AZ5S's) contained 5S pseudogenes as well as the almost entire Hi-b sequences, and seemed to be the true 5S rDNAs. The tandem arrangements of the AZ5S sequences explained most of the complex results of Southern blots. Another class of intriguing repeat units (Hi-b-beta and Hi-b-gamma) were also isolated. Fluorescence in situ hybridization data revealed two major signals on a pair of homologous chromosomes and several minor signals on other chromosomes in the triploid ginbuna, indicating the existence of the 5S related sequences as several separate clusters. The major spots were shared with the tetraploid ginbuna and goldfish, but not with the diploid ginbuna. When the genomic organization of the Hi-b related sequences in other cyprinid fishes was examined, the hybridization patterns of the ginbuna were very similar to those of the goldfish, but were clearly different from those of the gengorobuna. The carp genome showed less complex patterns. Thus, the present 5S rDNA-related sequences could be candidates for phylogenetic molecular markers for the crucian carp.

Transcripts containing the sea urchin retroposon family 1 (SURF1) in embryos of the sea urchin Anthocidaris crassispina

We isolated two cDNAs, termed D7 and C2 in the present study, from a cDNA library of the 16-cell embryo of the sea urchin Anthocidaris crassispina. The nucleotide sequence was determined completely for D7, and partially for C2. D7 does not have any significant open reading frames. Both D7 and C2 contain a common sequence that is 62% homologous to the sea urchin retroposon family 1 (SURF1). The SURF1 is a short interspersed repetitive element identified from the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, and is reported to be transcribed by RNA polymerase III. The structural feature of D7 and C2, however, suggests that they may be transcribed by RNA polymerase II. RT-PCR analyses revealed that (1) both D7 and C2 transcripts exist as a maternal RNA in the egg, (2) they appear evenly distributed in the 16-cell embryo, and (3) C2 transcripts are present throughout the development up to the gastrula, while D7 transcripts decrease in amount after the early cleavage stage.

The 3' ends of tRNA-derived SINEs originated from the 3' ends of LINEs: a new example from the bovine genome

Our group demonstrated recently that the 3' ends of several families of tRNA-derived SINEs (short interspersed repetitive elements) originated from the 3' ends of LINEs (long interspersed repetitive elements) [Ohshima et al. (1996) Mol. Cell. Biol. 16:3756-3764]. Two fully characterized examples of such organization were provided by the tortoise Pol III/SINE and the salmonid HpaI family of SINEs, and two probable examples were provided by the tobacco TS family of SINEs and the salmon SmaI family of SINEs. This organization of SINEs can explain their potential to retropose in the genome since it appears reasonable that the sites for recognition of LINEs by reverse transcriptase should be located within the 3'-end sequences of LINEs. We now add another example to this category of SINEs. In the bovine genome, there are Bov-tA SINEs, which belong to the superfamily of tRNA-derived families of SINEs, and Bov-B LINEs, which were recently demonstrated to belong to a LINE family. Moreover, Bov-tA and Bov-B share the same 3'-end tail. We propose a possible scenario whereby the composite structure of the bovine Bov-tA family of SINEs might have been generated from the Bov-B family of LINEs during evolution.

The 3' ends of tRNA-derived short interspersed repetitive elements are derived from the 3' ends of long interspersed repetitive elements

Short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs) are a type of retroposon, being members of a class of informational molecules that are amplified via cDNA intermediates and flow back into the host genome. In contrast to retroviruses and retrotransposons, SINEs do not encode the enzymes required for their amplification, such as reverse transcriptases, so they are presumed to borrow these enzymes from other sources. In the present study, we isolated a family of long interspersed repetitive elements (LINEs) from the turtle genome. The sequence of this family was found to be very similar to those of the avian CR1 family. To our surprise, the sequence at the 3' end of the LINE in the turtle genome was nearly identical to that of a family of tortoise SINEs. Since CR1-like LINEs are widespread in birds and in many other reptiles, including the turtle, and since the tortoise SINEs are only found in vertical-necked turtles, it seems possible that the sequence at the 3' end of the tortoise SINEs might have been generated by recombination with the CR1-like LINE in a common ancestor of vertical-necked turtles, after the divergence of side-necked turtles. We extended our observations to show that the 3'-end sequences of families of several tRNA-derived SINEs, such as the salmonid HpaI family, the tobacco TS family, and the salmon SmaI family, might have originated from the respective LINEs. Since it appears reasonable that the recognition sites of LINEs for reverse transcriptase are located within their 3'-end sequences, these results provide the basis for a general scheme for the mechanism by which SINEs might acquire retropositional activity. We propose here that tRNA-derived SINEs might have been generated by a recombination event in which a strong-stop DNA with a primer tRNA, which is an intermediate in the replication of certain retroviruses and long terminal repeat retrotransposons, was directly integrated at the 3' end of a LINE.

Evolution of the active sequences of the HpaI short interspersed elements

Ninety-nine members of the salmonid HpaI and AvaIII families of short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs) were aligned and a general consensus sequence was deduced. The presence of 26 correlated changes in nucleotides (diagnostic nucleotides) from those in the consensus sequence allowed us to divide the members of the HpaI family into 12 subfamilies and those of the AvaIII family into two subfamilies. On the basis of the average sequence divergences and the phylogenetic distributions of the subfamilies, the relative antiquity of the subfamilies and the process of sequential changes in the respective source sequences were inferred. Despite the higher mutation rates of CG dinucleotides in individual dispersed members, no hypermutability of CG positions was observed in changes in the source sequences. This result suggests that sequences of SINEs located in a nonmethylated or hypomethylated genomic region could have been selected as source sequences for retroposition and/or that some CG sites are the parts of recognition sequences of retropositional machineries.

A model for the mechanism of initial generation of short interspersed elements (SINEs)

Most animal genomes contain a large number of short interspersed elements (SINEs) that have a composite structure and contain a region that is homologous to a tRNA. The majority of SINEs have been found to be derived from a tRNA(Lys), being categorized as members of a superfamily of tRNA(Lys)-related SINEs. The consensus sequences of five SINEs that belong to this superfamily were aligned. It was found that, in the tRNA-unrelated region, there are two sequence motifs that are almost identical among these five SINEs and are at a distance of 10-11 nucleotides from each other. This observation suggests a common evolutionary origin of these SINEs and/or some function(s) for these motifs. Similar sequences were unexpectedly found to be present in the sequences complementary to the U5 regions of several mammalian retroviruses whose primer is a tRNA(Lys). On the basis of these findings, we propose a possible model for the generation of SINEs whereby they are derived from a "strong stop DNA" with a primer tRNA that is an intermediate in the process of reverse transcription of certain retroviruses.

Determination of the phylogenetic relationships among Pacific salmonids by using short interspersed elements (SINEs) as temporal landmarks of evolution

Several subfamilies of the salmonid Hpa I short interspersed element (SINE) family were isolated from salmonid genomes and were sequenced. For each genomic locus that represented the subfamily, amplification by PCR of the orthologous loci in the 12 fish allowed us to determine the order of branching of the Pacific salmonid species. The deduced phylogeny suggests three evolutionary lines, namely, a line of chum salmon, pink salmon, and kokanee; a line of coho salmon and chinook salmon; and a line of steelhead trout. Our data also support a change in the phylogenetic assignment of steelhead trout from Salmo to Oncorhynchus. We present here an extensive phylogenetic tree constructed from an analysis of differential insertion of SINEs, and we propose that SINE insertion analysis is one of the best available methods for clarifying the order of divergence of closely related species.

Several short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs) in distant species may have originated from a common ancestral retrovirus: characterization of a squid SINE and a possible mechanism for generation of tRNA-derived retroposons

Using labeled transcripts generated in vitro from squid total genomic DNA as a probe, we isolated and characterized a SINE that is present in the squid genome. The squid SINE appears to be derived from a tRNA(Lys). When the consensus sequences of five different SINEs with a tRNA(Lys)-like structure from distantly related species, including squid, were aligned, we found in the tRNA-unrelated region two sequence motifs that were almost identical among these five SINEs. This observation suggests a common evolutionary origin for these SINEs and/or some function(s) for these motifs. Similar sequences were unexpectedly found to be present in sequences complementary to the U5 regions of several mammalian retroviruses whose primer is a tRNA(Lys). On the basis of these findings, we present a model for the generation of SINEs. We propose that they are derived from a "strong-stop DNA" with a primer tRNA(Lys) that is an intermediate in the reverse transcription of certain retroviruses. Our model suggests that a certain group of SINEs may have been generated by horizontal transmission, although it is not clear whether information was transmitted via a similar retrovirus or via an RNA or DNA of a SINE.

Shaping and reshaping of salmonid genomes by amplification of tRNA-derived retroposons during evolution

Three families of tRNA-derived repeated retroposons in the genomes of salmonid species have been isolated and characterized. These three families differ in sequence, but all are derived from a tRNA(Lys) or from a tRNA species structurally related to tRNA(Lys). The salmon Sma I family is present in the genomes of two species of the genus Oncorhynchus but not in other species, including five other species of the same genus. The charr Fok I family is present only in four species and subspecies of the genus Salvelinus. The third family, the salmonid Hpa I family, appears to be present in all salmonid species but is not present in species that are not members of the Salmonidae. Thus, the genome of proto-Salmonidae was originally shaped by amplification and dispersion of the salmonid Hpa I family and then reshaped by amplification of the Sma I and Fok I families in the more recently evolved species of salmon and charr, respectively. We speculate that amplification and dispersion of retroposons may have played a role in salmonid speciation.

Distribution of the salmonid Hpa 1 family in the salmonid species demonstrated by in vitro runoff transcription assay of total genomic DNA: a procedure to estimate repetitive frequency and sequence divergence of a certain repetitive family with a few known sequences

An in vitro runoff transcription assay of total genomic DNA was developed. As an example of use of this assay, analysis of a highly repetitive sequence in the cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) is described. Total genomic DNA of the cherry salmon was completely digested with Hpa 1, whose site is known to be in the tRNA-unrelated region of the cherry salmon Hpa 1 family. On transcription of the digested DNA in a HeLa cell extract, a discrete-sized RNA of about 100 nucleotides, constituting 70% of the transcripts, was produced, whereas on transcription of the undigested total DNA, only smeared RNA was obtained. In a fingerprint, the oligonucleotides of the discrete transcript from the digested total DNA were very distinct and exactly corresponded to those of a transcript from an Hpa 1 digest of a cloned DNA, but with few extra oligonucleotides. These results showed that the cherry salmon Hpa 1 family constitutes a major repetitive family in the genome of the cherry salmon. For determination of the distribution of the salmonid Hpa 1 family in other salmonid species, the same analysis was applied to DNAs from the chum salmon (Onchorhynchus keta), brown trout (Salmo trutta), Japanese common charr (Salvelinus leucomaenis pluvius), and Japanese huchen (Hucho perryi). The results showed that the salmonid Hpa 1 family is widespread in the genomes of salmonid species. A method and equations are also presented for estimating the relationship between the ratio of a given repetitive family to all the Pol III genes and its average sequence divergence by calculating the molar ratio of the runoff transcript to all the in vitro Pol III transcripts.

Transfer RNA-like structure of the human Alu family: implications of its generation mechanism and possible functions

Structural resemblance of the human Alu family with a subset of vertebrate tRNAs was detected. Of four tRNAs, tRNA(Lys), tRNA(Ile), tRNA(Thr), and tRNA(Tyr), which comprise a structurally related family, tRNA(Lys) is the most similar to the human Alu family. Of the 76 nucleotides in lysine tRNA (including the CCA tail), 47 are similar to the human Alu family (60% identity). The secondary structure of the human Alu family corresponding to the D-stem and anticodon stem regions of the tRNA appears to be very stable. The 7SL RNA, which is a progenitor of the human Alu family, is less similar to lysine tRNA (55% identity), and the secondary structure of the 7SL RNA folded like a tRNA is less stable than that of the human Alu family folded likewise. Insertion of the tetranucleotide GAGA, which is an important region of the second promoter for RNA polymerase III in the Alu sequence, occurred during the deletion and ligation process to generate the Alu sequence from the parental 7SL RNA. These results suggest that the human Alu family was generated from the 7SL RNA by deletion, insertion, and mutations, which thus modified the ancestral 7SL sequence so that it could form a structure more closely resembling lysine tRNA. The similarities of several short interspersed sequences to the lysine tRNA were also examined. The Galago type 2 family, which was reported to be derived from a methionine initiator tRNA, was also found to be similar to the lysine tRNA. Thus lysine tRNA-like structures are widespread in genomes in the animal kingdom. The implications of these findings in relation to the mechanism of generation of the human Alu family and its possible functions are discussed.

A highly repetitive and transcribable sequence in the tortoise genome is probably a retroposon

On in vitro transcription of total genomic DNA of the tortoise (Geoclemys reevessi), a discrete-sized RNA of 6.5S was obtained that represented a highly repetitive and transcribable sequence in the tortoise genome. Three sequences of the 6.5S RNA gene were sequenced, and a consensus sequence was deduced from these three sequences and one reported previously [Endoh, H & Okada, N. (1986) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 83, 251-255]. The 5' part of the gene showed close similaries to lysine (rabbit) and threonine (mouse) tRNAs (overall similarity 68-70%), so this tortoise sequence may have evolved from one of these tRNAs. The consensus sequence retained the expected CCA triplet at the 3' end of tRNA, but not at the 3' end of tDNA, supporting the idea that the tRNA-related region of the gene was generated via an RNA intermediate. The 5' and 3' flanking sequences of the four genes were found to be completely different from each other. Fingerprint analysis and S1 nuclease mapping analysis also showed that sequence boundaries of tortoise repetitive units exactly corresponded to RNA species. These results, together with data obtained by Southern blot hybridization, indicated that the 6.5S RNA genes are dispersed in the tortoise genome. Therefore, generation of the tRNA-related region of the gene and amplification of the whole unit of the gene are both RNA-mediated events. The existence of this tortoise sequence suggests that short interspersed sequences are more common in eukaryotic genomes than had previously been thought.

Evolution of chromosome bands: molecular ecology of noncoding DNA

Giemsa dark bands, G-bands, are a derived chromatin character that evolved along the chromosomes of early chordates. They are facultative heterochromatin reflecting acquisition of a late replication mechanism to repress tissue-specific genes. Subsequently, R-bands, the primitive chromatin state, became directionally GC rich as evidenced by Q-banding of mammalian and avian chromosomes. Contrary to predictions from the neutral mutation theory, noncoding DNA is positionally constrained along the banding pattern with short interspersed repeats in R-bands and long interspersed repeats in G-bands. Chromosomes seem dynamically stable: the banding pattern and gene arrangement along several human and murine autosomes has remained constant for 100 million years, whereas much of the noncoding DNA, especially retroposons, has changed. Several coding sequence attributes and probably mutation rates are determined more by where a gene lives than by what it does. R-band exons in homeotherms but not G-band exons have directionally acquired GC-rich wobble bases and the corresponding codon usage: CpG islands in mammals are specific to R-band exons, exons not facultatively heterochromatinized, and are independent of the tissue expression pattern of the gene. The dynamic organization of noncoding DNA suggests a feedback loop that could influence codon usage and stabilize the chromosome's chromatin pattern: DNA sequences determine affinities of----proteins that together form----a chromatin that modulates----rate constants for DNA modification that determine----DNA sequences. Theories of hierarchical selection and molecular ecology show how selection can act on Darwinian units of noncoding DNA at the genome level thus creating positionally constrained DNA and contributing minimal genetic load at the individual level.

A retroposon-like short repetitive DNA element in the genome of the human blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni

The genome of Schistosoma mansoni, a human blood fluke, contains a family of short repetitive DNA elements which we have named the SM alpha family. In this paper we report the sequences of two SM alpha family members which are derived from tandem arrangements and four family members which are dispersed copies. The two tandemly repeated copies are 331 and 335 bp, while the four dispersed copies range in size from 107 to 322 bp. Three dispersed copies are flanked by direct repeats and have AT-rich 3' ends. The tandem copies and one of the dispersed copies have regions of homology to RNA polymerase III promoters and arginine tRNA genes. In addition the repeated element is rearranged in two of the dispersed copies when compared with the other dispersed and two tandem copies. Localization studies show that SM alpha elements are distributed in the sex and autosomal chromosomes. These observations suggest that members of this family may have been dispersed throughout the genome via RNA intermediates.

tRNA derived insertion element in histone gene repeating unit of Drosophila melanogaster

Analysis of 41 histone homologous clones from an isogenic gene library of Drosophila melanogaster showed that non-histone fragments interrupt the histone repetitive clusters at several sites. Long (L) and short (S) forms of the repeating units are distinguished by the insertion of 240 bp into the spacer between H1 and H3 of the L units; Each form appears to be clustered with its own kind. The complete DNA sequence of the histone 5.0 kb repeating unit was determined. Five histone genes (H1, H2A, H2B, H3, H4) were identified in a repeating unit and several sequence blocks common to the five histone genes were found in the 5'- and 3'-regions. The insertion sequence of 240 bp was found to be similar to the Alu family, an element derived from tRNA.

Identification of a repeated sequence in the genome of the sea urchin which is transcribed by RNA polymerase III and contains the features of a retroposon

A repeated sequence element which is located about 200 nucleotides upstream from the protein-coding portion of the muscle actin gene (probably within a large 5' intron) in the genome of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus has been characterized, and shown to contain the sequence features which indicate that it has been transposed by means of an RNA intermediate. This retroposon-like sequence, SURF1-1, is a member of a family which is dispersed and repeated about 800 times in the genome, referred to as SURF1 (sea urchin retroposon family 1). In vitro transcription of this sequence by RNA polymerase III defines a 300 nucleotide transcription unit which is bounded by a short direct repeated sequence. The 3' end of this unit contains a simple 21 nucleotide A+T-rich sequence characteristic of retroponons, and a consensus B box portion of an internal RNA polymerase III promotor is located 60 to 80 nucleotides downstream from the two sites of transcription initiation. This sequence also contains a 40 nucleotide region that is related to several tRNA sequences (containing the B box), and a 79 nucleotide sequence which is homologous to a repeated sequence previously shown to be present within the 3' untranslated portions of the Spec1 and Spec2 mRNAs of this species (1). Analysis of transcripts of this sequence family in RNA from several embryonic stages indicates that its expression is highest at 11 hours postfertilization (about 128 cells) and drops as development proceeds. Furthermore, most or all, transcription of this sequence family in nuclei isolated from 11 hour embryos is by RNA polymerase III, and is from the same strand which is transcribed in vitro.

5S-rRNA genes in rice embryos

The 5S-rRNA from the ungerminated and 48-h-germinated rice embryos differs from the wheat, rye and maize by two nucleotides. The 48-h-germinated embryos contain another species of 5S-rRNA which differs by 3 nucleotides from the ungerminated embryos, thereby showing the expression of two 5S-rRNA genes during germination. The 5S-rRNA genes are present in tandem repeats of a 0.3-kb sequence with some length heterogeneity in the rice genome. The 5S-rRNA gene that was sequenced is identical to that of wheat and maize, except for two nucleotides, C and T, which are interchanged at positions 107 and 117. The insert of continuous 5S-rRNA gene in pBR322 was transcribed in vitro much more efficiently than the discontinuous gene. There was no homology between the 184-bp spacer sequence of 5S-rRNA genes in rice and other systems except the presence of the oligo(T) transcription terminator sequence.

Common evolutionary origin of the ilvGMEDA attenuation locus and tRNA(1Leu) in Escherichia coli

Published sequences of transcripts from ilvGMEDA leader regions of several enteric bacteria were compared with published sequences of the tRNAs from Escherichia coli. The analyses revealed homology between the ilvGMEDA leader peptide-coding region and tRNA(1Leu) in E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Klebsiella aerogenes, whereas homology was not present in Serratia marcescens and Edwardsiella tarda.

Induction of specific transcription by RNA polymerase III in transformed cells

RNA polymerase III (pol III) transcripts of the highly repeated mouse B2 gene family are increased in many oncogenically transformed murine cell lines. In cells transformed by simian virus 40, the small, cytoplasmic B2 RNAs are present at 20-fold-higher levels than in normal cells (M. R. D. Scott, K. Westphal, and P. W. J. Rigby, Cell 34:557-567, 1983; K. Singh, M. Carey, S. Saragosti, and M. Botchan, Nature [London] 314:553-556). We found that transcripts of the highly repeated B1 gene family are also increased 20-fold upon simian virus 40 transformation and showed that these RNAs result from pol III transcription. In contrast, transcripts from less highly repeated pol III templates such as the 5S, 7SL, 7SK, 4.5SI, tRNAMet, and tRNAPro genes are unaffected. The expression of the B2 RNAs in isolated nuclei shows that the augmentation is due mainly to an increased rate of transcription by pol III. There is thus specific transformation-inducible pol III transcription. We developed an in vitro transcription assay which utilizes genomic DNA as a template to study the transcription of all members of a repetitive gene family in their native context. This assay reproduces the low cytoplasmic levels of B1 compared with B2 RNAs suggesting that this ratio is dictated by intrinsic signals in the DNA.

Small tandemly repeated DNA sequences of higher plants likely originate from a tRNA gene ancestor

Several monomers (177 bp) of a tandemly arranged repetitive nuclear DNA sequence of Brassica oleracea have been cloned and sequenced. They share up to 95% homology between one another and up to 80% with other satellite DNA sequences of Cruciferae, suggesting a common ancestor. Both strands of these monomers show more than 50% homology with many tRNA genes; the best homologies have been obtained with Lys and His yeast mitochondrial tRNA genes (respectively 64% and 60%). These results suggest that small tandemly repeated DNA sequences of plants may have evolved from a tRNA gene ancestor. These tandem repeats have probably arisen via a process involving reverse transcription of polymerase III RNA intermediates, as is the case for interspersed DNA sequences of mammalians. A model is proposed to explain the formation of such small tandemly repeated DNA sequences.

Induction of specific transcription by RNA polymerase III in transformed cells

RNA polymerase III (pol III) transcripts of the highly repeated mouse B2 gene family are increased in many oncogenically transformed murine cell lines. In cells transformed by simian virus 40, the small, cytoplasmic B2 RNAs are present at 20-fold-higher levels than in normal cells (M. R. D. Scott, K. Westphal, and P. W. J. Rigby, Cell 34:557-567, 1983; K. Singh, M. Carey, S. Saragosti, and M. Botchan, Nature [London] 314:553-556). We found that transcripts of the highly repeated B1 gene family are also increased 20-fold upon simian virus 40 transformation and showed that these RNAs result from pol III transcription. In contrast, transcripts from less highly repeated pol III templates such as the 5S, 7SL, 7SK, 4.5SI, tRNAMet, and tRNAPro genes are unaffected. The expression of the B2 RNAs in isolated nuclei shows that the augmentation is due mainly to an increased rate of transcription by pol III. There is thus specific transformation-inducible pol III transcription. We developed an in vitro transcription assay which utilizes genomic DNA as a template to study the transcription of all members of a repetitive gene family in their native context. This assay reproduces the low cytoplasmic levels of B1 compared with B2 RNAs suggesting that this ratio is dictated by intrinsic signals in the DNA.

Gene for lysine tRNA1 may be a progenitor of the highly repetitive and transcribable sequences present in the salmon genome

When salmon total DNA was transcribed in a HeLa cell extract, a discrete 6S RNA was found to be synthesized by RNA polymerase III. We isolated several phage clones containing the 6S RNA gene from a salmon genomic library and determined the sequences of two representative clones. The 5' part of the gene showed remarkable sequence homology with the lysine tRNA1 molecule. This homology extended to secondary structures, and the numbers of nucleotides in the stem and loop structures in the 6S RNA were the same as those in lysine tRNA1. Further, the pseudouridylic acid residues synthesized by HeLa pseudouridylate synthase(s) were determined to be at uridine-27 and uridine-55, which are the positions of these modified nucleosides in lysine tRNA1. These results strongly suggest that the lysine tRNA1 gene is a progenitor of the highly repetitive and transcribable sequences in the salmon genome.