Complex patterns of transcription of a Drosophila retrotransposon in vivo and in vitro by RNA polymerases II and III

Functional analysis of Drosophila melanogaster hexokinase Hex-A locus: multiple Initiator-like elements enhance DPE containing promoter activity

Flight muscle Hexokinase-A (HEX-A) is the most conserved and essential hexokinase isoenzyme among Drosophila species. In this study, the Hex-A locus, encoding the HEX-A isoenzyme, has been analysed for the elements regulating its expression. By sequencing the 5' ends of Hex-A cDNA amplified by 5' RACE, we identified a transcription start site that overlapped the Initiator and downstream promoter elements. A 214 bp sequence, encompassing transcription start sites and promoter elements, was required for minimal promoter activity. DNA sequence to the 5' end of the minimal promoter element did not demonstrate any promoter activity; however, its inclusion with the basal promoter element enhanced the promoter activity. Oligonucleotide competition and site-directed mutagenesis identified the Initiator-like sequences, TCAWT, present in this region that were responsible for enhancing the promoter activity. The Hex-A locus is expressed as a single protein in Drosophila cell line, whereas in pupae, larvae and adult flies, it is expressed as two distinct types.

The evolution of retrotransposon regulatory regions and its consequences on the Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens host genomes

It has now been established that transposable elements (TEs) make up a variable, but significant proportion of the genomes of all organisms, from Bacteria to Vertebrates. However, in addition to their quantitative importance, there is increasing evidence that TEs also play a functional role within the genome. In particular, TE regulatory regions can be viewed as a large pool of potential promoter sequences for host genes. Studying the evolution of regulatory region of TEs in different genomic contexts is therefore a fundamental aspect of understanding how a genome works. In this paper, we first briefly describe what is currently known about the regulation of TE copy number and activity in genomes, and then focus on TE regulatory regions and their evolution. We restrict ourselves to retrotransposons, which are the most abundant class of eukaryotic TEs, and analyze their evolution and the subsequent consequences for host genomes. Particular attention is paid to much-studied representatives of the Vertebrates and Invertebrates, Homo sapiens and Drosophila melanogaster, respectively, for which high quality sequenced genomes are available.

On the mode of gene-dosage compensation in Drosophila

A procedure is described for determining the mode and magnitude of gene-dosage compensation of transformed genes. It involves measurement of the ratio of the activity of a gene inserted at X-linked sites to the activity of the same gene inserted at autosomal sites. Applying the procedure to the Drosophila pseudoobscura Hsp82 gene inserted at ectopic sites in D. melanogaster and taking gene activity as proportional to the amount of transcript per gene copy, we conclude that (1) in both adults and larvae the gene is not compensated at autosomal sites or at a site in beta-heterochromatin at the base of the X chromosome and is fully compensated at euchromatic X-chromosomal sites; (2) inappropriate normalization is responsible for a claim that the gene is compensated at autosomal sites; and (3) the observed compensation operates mainly or entirely by heightened activity of X-linked genes in males, rather than by reduced activity in females.

High frequency retrotransposition in cultured mammalian cells

We previously isolated two human L1 elements (L1.2 and LRE2) as the progenitors of disease-producing insertions. Here, we show these elements can actively retrotranspose in cultured mammalian cells. When stably expressed from an episome in HeLa cells, both elements retrotransposed into a variety of chromosomal locations at a high frequency. The retrotransposed products resembled endogenous L1 insertions, since they were variably 5' truncated, ended in poly(A) tracts, and were flanked by target-site duplications or short deletions. Point mutations in conserved domains of the L1.2-encoded proteins reduced retrotransposition by 100- to 1000-fold. Remarkably, L1.2 also retrotransposed in a mouse cell line, suggesting a potential role for L1-based vectors in random insertional mutagenesis.