1. Insertion site preferences of the P transposable element in Drosophila melanogaster
- Author
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Liao Gc, E. J. Rehm, and Gerald M. Rubin
- Subjects
Genetics ,Transposable element ,Multidisciplinary ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Hydrogen Bonding ,DNA ,Biological Sciences ,Biology ,P element ,genomic DNA ,Drosophila melanogaster ,DNA Transposable Elements ,Tn10 ,Animals ,Insertion ,Insertion sequence ,Sequence motif ,Dyad symmetry - Abstract
We determined the genomic sequence at the site of insertion in 2,266 unselected P element insertion events. Estimating physical properties of the genomic DNA at these insertion sites—such as base composition, bendability, A-philicity, protein-induced deformability, and B-DNA twist—revealed that they differ significantly from average chromosomal DNA. By examining potential hydrogen bonding sites in the major groove, we identified a 14-bp palindromic pattern centered on the 8-bp target site duplication that is generated by P element insertion. Our results suggest that the P-element transposition mechanism has a two-fold dyad symmetry and recognizes a structural feature at insertion sites, rather than a specific sequence motif.
- Published
- 2000
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