title: Insertion site preferences of the P transposable element in Drosophila melanogaster.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA.
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Rehm
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Rubin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004247:DNA