title: Action of a transposable element in coding sequence fusions.
abstract: The original Casadaban technique for isolating fused cistrons encoding hybrid beta-galactosidase proteins used a Mucts62 prophage to align the upstream coding sequence and lacZ prior to selection. Kinetic analysis of araB-lacZ fusion colony emergence indicated that the required DNA rearrangements were regulated and responsive to conditions on selection plates. This has been cited as an example of "directed mutation." Here we show genetically that the MuA and integration host factor (IHF) transposition functions are involved in the formation of hybrid araB-lacZ cistrons and propose a molecular model for how fusions can form from the initial strand-transfer complex. These results confirm earlier indications of direct Mu involvement in the fusion process. The proposed model explains how rearranged Mu sequences come to be found as interdomain linkers in certain hybrid cistrons and indicates that the fusion process involves a spatially and temporally coordinated sequence of biochemical reactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leach
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D005091:Exons; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D007700:Kinetics; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements