title: Loss-of-function of a ubiquitin-related modifier promotes the mobilization of the active MITE mPing.
abstract: Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) are widespread in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes, where their copy numbers can attain several thousands. Little is known, however, about the genetic factor(s) affecting their transpositions. Here, we show that disruption of a gene encoding ubiquitin-like protein markedly enhances the transposition activity of a MITE mPing in intact rice plants without any exogenous stresses. We found that the transposition activity of mPing is far higher in the lines harboring a non-functional allele at the Rurm1 (Rice ubiquitin-related modifier-1) locus than in the wild-type line. Although the alteration of cytosine methylation pattern triggers the activation of transposable elements under exogenous stress conditions, the methylation degrees in the whole genome, the mPing-body region, and the mPing-flanking regions of the non-functional Rurm1 line were unchanged. This study provides experimental evidence for one of the models of genome shock theory that genetic accidents within cells enhance the transposition activities of transposable elements.
authors: Division of Agronomy and Horticulture Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
authors: Takuji
authors: T
authors: Tsukiyama
authors: Shota
authors: S
authors: Teramoto
authors: Kanako
authors: K
authors: Yasuda
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Horibata
authors: Nanako
authors: N
authors: Mori
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Okumoto
authors: Masayoshi
authors: M
authors: Teraishi
authors: Hiroki
authors: H
authors: Saito
authors: Akiko
authors: A
authors: Onishi
authors: Kanako
authors: K
authors: Tamura
authors: Takatoshi
authors: T
authors: Tanisaka
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000235:genetics; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D018628:Gene Dosage; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000235:genetics; D012275:Oryza / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D025801:Ubiquitin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D025801:Ubiquitin
keywords: MITE; Oryza sativa; genome shock theory; mPing; methylation; ubiquitin-related modifier