title: The splicing of maize transposable elements from pre-mRNA--a minireview.
abstract: There are six examples of maize transposable elements that are spliced from pre-mRNA. These represent the first introns that have been added to nuclear genes in recent years. All six are members of the Ac/Ds or Spm/dSpm family of elements and all have been inserted into exons of active genes within the last twenty-five years. The structure of these element-introns and the sequences involved in their splicing are presented. These examples illustrate how active transposable elements can also function as introns and how they may evolve into stable introns.
authors.affiliation: Botany Department, University of Georgia, Athens 30602.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Wessler
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D007438:Introns; D009154:Mutation; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D012322:RNA Precursors