Tracking an embryonic L1 retrotransposition event.
Long interspersed nuclear elements 1 (L1) are active retrotransposons that reside in many species, including humans and rodents. L1 elements produce an RNA intermediate that is reverse transcribed to DNA and inserted in a new genomic location. We have tagged an active human L1 element (L1(RP)) with a gene encoding enhanced GFP (EGFP). Expression of GFP occurs only if L1-EGFP has undergone a cycle of transcription, reverse transcription, and integration into a transcriptionally permissive genomic region. We show here that L1-EGFP can undergo retrotransposition in vivo and produce fluorescence in mouse testis. The retrotransposition event characterized here has occurred at a very early stage in the development of an L1-EGFP transgenic founder mouse.
Prak
Eline T Luning
ET
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 405B Stellar Chance Laboratories, 422 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. luning@mail.med.upenn.edu
Dodson
Allen W
AW
Farkash
Evan A
EA
Kazazian
Haig H
HH
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA; D017931:DNA Primers; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018626:Retroelements; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D017931:DNA Primers; D018626:Retroelements; D004247:DNA