Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

11 p.

Publication Date

2-2005

Publisher

American Society for Microbiology

Source Publication

Eukaryotic Cell

Source ISSN

1535-9778

Original Item ID

doi:10.1128/EC.4.2.421-431.2005

Abstract

In the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, approximately 15% of the germ line micronuclear DNA sequences are eliminated during formation of the somatic macronucleus. The vast majority of the internal eliminated sequences (IESs) are repeated in the micronuclear genome, and several of them resemble transposable elements. Thus, it has been suggested that DNA elimination evolved as a means for removing invading DNAs. In the present study, bacterial neo genes introduced into the germ line micronuclei were eliminated from the somatic genome. The efficiency of elimination from two different loci increased dramatically with the copy number of the neo genes in the micronuclei. The timing of neo elimination is similar to that of endogenous IESs, and they both produce bidirectional transcripts of the eliminated element, suggesting that the deletion of neo occurred by the same mechanism as elimination of endogenous IESs. These results indicate that repetition of an element in the micronucleus enhances the efficiency of its elimination from the newly formed somatic genome of Tetrahymena thermophila. The implications of these data in relation to the function and mechanism of IES elimination are discussed.

Comments

Published version. Eukaryotic Cell, Vol. 4, No. 2 (2005): 421-431. DOI. © 2005 American Society for Microbiology. Used with permission.

Kathleen Karrer was affiliated with the University of Rochester and Marquette University at the time of publication.

Download
Karrer_295_supp.pdf (146 kB)
Supplemental figures showing structures and sequences of the PCR products from the deleted NgoA and HTT1 loci

Included in

Biology Commons

Share

COinS