Mutations in RAD6, a yeast gene encoding a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, stimulate retrotransposition.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA repair gene RAD6 encodes a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme which polyubiquitinates histones in vitro. Here we show that mutations in rad6 increase the frequency of transposition of the retrotransposon Ty into the CAN1 and URA3 loci. Using isogenic RAD6 and rad6 strains, we measured a more than 100-fold increase in the spontaneous rate of retrotransposition due to rad6, although there was no increase in the Ty message level. This is the first time that a mutation in a host gene has been shown to result in an increased rate of retrotransposition.
Picologlou
S
S
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois-Chicago 60680.
Brown
N
N
Liebman
S W
SW
D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002843:Chromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004260:DNA Repair; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D008025:Ligases / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D044763:Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000378:metabolism*
D002843:Chromatin; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D014452:Ubiquitins; C471606:RAD6 protein, S cerevisiae; D044763:Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes; D008025:Ligases