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Frangieh CJ, Wilkinson ME, Strebinger D, Strecker J, Walsh ML, Faure G, Yushenova IA, Macrae RK, Arkhipova IR, Zhang F. Internal initiation of reverse transcription in a Penelope-like retrotransposon. Mob DNA 2024; 15:12. [PMID: 38863000 PMCID: PMC11167929 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-024-00322-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic retroelements are generally divided into two classes: long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons and non-LTR retrotransposons. A third class of eukaryotic retroelement, the Penelope-like elements (PLEs), has been well-characterized bioinformatically, but relatively little is known about the transposition mechanism of these elements. PLEs share some features with the R2 retrotransposon from Bombyx mori, which uses a target-primed reverse transcription (TPRT) mechanism, but their distinct phylogeny suggests PLEs may utilize a novel mechanism of mobilization. Using protein purified from E. coli, we report unique in vitro properties of a PLE from the green anole (Anolis carolinensis), revealing mechanistic aspects not shared by other retrotransposons. We found that reverse transcription is initiated at two adjacent sites within the transposon RNA that is not homologous to the cleaved DNA, a feature that is reflected in the genomic "tail" signature shared between and unique to PLEs. Our results for the first active PLE in vitro provide a starting point for understanding PLE mobilization and biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris J Frangieh
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Max E Wilkinson
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Daniel Strebinger
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Jonathan Strecker
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Michelle L Walsh
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Guilhem Faure
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Irina A Yushenova
- Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - Rhiannon K Macrae
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Irina R Arkhipova
- Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA.
| | - Feng Zhang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
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