The defective En-I102 element encodes a product reducing the mutability of the En/Spm transposable element system of Zea mays.
Genetic and molecular analysis has revealed a specific En-element of deletion derivative (En-I102) which reduces En/Spm-induced mutability. In the presence of En-I102 the excision frequency of both the autonomous En-1 element and the inhibitor element Spm-I5719A is reduced and excision occurs later in development. The 3697 bp long En-I102 element is derived from En-1 by an internal deletion of 4590 bp removing nucleotides 1862-6451. The promoter at the left end and sequences required for polyadenylation are retained in En-I102. It is transcribed to yield predominantly a 1.8 kb poly(A) RNA. cDNA analysis of this transcript indicated that it contains the coding capacity for a 386 amino acid polypeptide. This polypeptide shares homology with En/Spm encoded functions and we suggest that it interferes with transposition at the protein level.
Abteilung Molekulare Pflanzengenetik, Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung, D-5000 Köln 30, FRG.
H
H
Cuypers
S
S
Dash
P A
PA
Peterson
H
H
Saedler
A
A
Gierl
D000483:Alleles; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D017353:Gene Deletion; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics*
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D018744:DNA, Plant