QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Research Data Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Smith, D. Articles by Belfort, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Smith, D. Articles by Belfort, M. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

RESEARCH PAPER

Recruitment of host functions suggests a repair pathway for late steps in group II intron retrohoming

¹ Molecular Genetics Program, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health and School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York 12201, USA; ² Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA

Retrohoming of group II introns occurs by a mechanism in which the intron RNA reverse splices directly into one strand of a DNA target site and is then reverse transcribed by the associated intron-encoded protein. Host repair enzymes are predicted to complete this process. Here, we screened a battery of Escherichia coli mutants defective in host functions that are potentially involved in retrohoming of the Lactococcus lactis Ll.LtrB intron. We found strong (greater than threefold) effects for several enzymes, including nucleases directed against RNA and DNA, replicative and repair polymerases, and DNA ligase. A model including the presumptive roles of these enzymes in resection of DNA, degradation of the intron RNA template, traversion of RNA-DNA junctions, and second-strand DNA synthesis is described. The completion of retrohoming is viewed as a DNA repair process, with features that may be shared by other non-LTR retroelements.

[Keywords: Retroelement; retrotransposon; RNase H; Pol I; Pol III; repair polymerases]

Received June 14, 2005; revised version accepted August 15, 2005.

³ These authors contributed equally to this work.

⁴ Present address: The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, SBR-10, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.

⁵ Corresponding author.

E-MAIL belfort{at}wadsworth.org; FAX (518) 474-3181.

Article and publication are at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.1345105.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. R. Robart, W. Seo, and S. Zimmerly Insertion of group II intron retroelements after intrinsic transcriptional terminators PNAS, April 17, 2007; 104(16): 6620 - 6625. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Yao and A. M. Lambowitz Gene Targeting in Gram-Negative Bacteria by Use of a Mobile Group II Intron ("Targetron") Expressed from a Broad-Host-Range Vector Appl. Envir. Microbiol., April 15, 2007; 73(8): 2735 - 2743. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Belhocine, A. B. Mak, and B. Cousineau Trans-splicing of the Ll.LtrB group II intron in Lactococcus lactis Nucleic Acids Res., April 1, 2007; 35(7): 2257 - 2268. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Ichiyanagi, R. Nakajima, M. Kajikawa, and N. Okada Novel retrotransposon analysis reveals multiple mobility pathways dictated by hosts Genome Res., January 1, 2007; 17(1): 33 - 41. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Plante and B. Cousineau Restriction for gene insertion within the Lactococcus lactis Ll.LtrB group II intron RNA, November 1, 2006; 12(11): 1980 - 1992. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Yao, J. Zhong, Y. Fang, E. Geisinger, R. P. Novick, and A. M. Lambowitz Use of targetrons to disrupt essential and nonessential genes in Staphylococcus aureus reveals temperature sensitivity of Ll.LtrB group II intron splicing RNA, July 1, 2006; 12(7): 1271 - 1281. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]