Organization of the bovine alpha 2-fucosyltransferase gene cluster suggests that the Sec1 gene might have been shaped through a nonautonomous L1-retrotransposition event within the same locus.
By referring to the split coding sequence of the highly conserved alpha 6-fucosyltransferase gene family (assumed to be representative of the common alpha 2 and alpha 6 fucosyltransferase gene ancestor), we have hypothesized that the monoexonic coding sequences of the present alpha 2-fucosyltransferase genes have been shaped in mammals by several events of retrotransposition and/or duplication. In order to test our hypothesis, we determined the structure of the three bovine alpha 2-fucosyltransferase genes (bfut1, bfut2, and sec1) and analyzed their characteristics compared with their human counterparts (FUT1, FUT2, and Sec1). We show that in mammals, a complex nonautonomous L1-retrotransposition event occurred within the locus of the alpha 2-fucosyltransferase ancestor gene itself. A consequence of this event was the processing in Catarrhini of a Sec1 pseudogene via several point mutations.
Saunier
K
K
Unité de Génétique Moléculaire Animale, UMR1061, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique/Université de Limoges, Institut des Sciences de la Vie et de la Santé, Faculté des Sciences Limoges, Limoges, France.
Barreaud
J P
JP
Eggen
A
A
Oriol
R
R
Levéziel
H
H
Julien
R
R
Petit
J M
JM
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005647:Fucosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D020084:Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000235:genetics*; D051938:Munc18 Proteins; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000235:genetics*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011544:Pseudogenes; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins; D000097631:Galactoside 2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase
D005647:Fucosyltransferases; D005819:Genetic Markers; D051938:Munc18 Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins; D000097631:Galactoside 2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase