A recombination hotspot in the LTR of a mouse retrotransposon identified in an in vitro system

Cell. 1989 Jun 16;57(6):937-46. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90332-2.

Abstract

The recombinational frequency between two long terminal repeat elements (LTR-IS) of a mouse retrotransposon was about 13 times higher, compared with that of two control DNA sequences in extracts from mouse testes, but not in extracts from ascites cells. Deletion of a 37 bp region from the LTR-IS element strongly suppresses its recombinational activity. This 37 bp region encompasses an area of potentially single-stranded DNA and interacts with at least two nuclear proteins. One of them binds sequence-specifically to single-stranded DNA and is present in both types of extracts. Another protein(s) binds to dsDNA at the motif TGGAAATCCCC and is absent in extracts from testes. Our results suggest that a cis-acting DNA sequence within the 504 bp LTR-IS element is responsible for its high recombinational activity in vitro, and they further support the previous suggestion that the LTR-IS elements are meiotic recombinational hotspots in vivo.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Ascites / physiopathology
  • DNA Transposable Elements*
  • DNA, Single-Stranded / physiology
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / physiology
  • Endonucleases / pharmacology
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Male
  • Mice / genetics*
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • Plasmids
  • Recombination, Genetic*
  • Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid*
  • Retroviridae / genetics*
  • Single-Strand Specific DNA and RNA Endonucleases
  • Testis / physiology

Substances

  • DNA Transposable Elements
  • DNA, Single-Stranded
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Endonucleases
  • Single-Strand Specific DNA and RNA Endonucleases