Evidence that a major class of mouse endogenous long terminal repeats (LTRs) resulted from recombination between exogenous retroviral LTRs and similar LTR-like elements (LTR-IS).
Two endogenous retroviral long terminal repeats (LTRs) were sequenced and compared to LTR-IS (a family of insertion-element-like sequences with structural features of solitary retroviral LTRs) and to Moloney murine leukemia virus DNA. The sequence comparisons revealed that the major difference between these two endogenous LTRs is a 190-base-pair segment which is also present in LTR-IS elements. Hybridization analysis of DNAs from several mouse species using specific probes shows linkage of the 190-base-pair segment to a LTR-IS specific fragment. It is concluded that the major class of endogenous LTRs has been generated by recombination between exogenous retroviral LTRs and LTR-IS sequences.
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice / Q000235:genetics*; D008979:Moloney murine leukemia virus / Q000235:genetics; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics*
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004247:DNA