title: HelitronsinDrosophila: Chromatin modulation and tandem insertions.
abstract: AlthoughHelitronswere discovered 15 y ago, they still represent an elusive group of transposable elements (TEs). They are thought to transpose via a rolling-circle mechanism, but no transposition assay has yet been conducted. We have recently characterized a group ofHelitronsinDrosophila, namedDINE-TR1, that display interesting features, including pronounced enrichment at β-heterochromatin, multiple tandem insertions (TIs) of the entire TE, and that experienced at least 2 independent expansion events of its internal tandem repeats (TRs) in distantDrosophilalineages. Here we discuss 2 aspects of TE dynamics displayed by theDINE-TR1 Helitrons: (i) the general evolutionary impact of piRNA-guided heterochromatin formation via TE-derived TR expansion and (ii) the possible mechanisms that could account for the recurrent TIs ofHelitrons.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais , Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guilherme B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais , Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Heringer
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais , Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo C S
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Kuhn
keywords: DINE-1; chromatin sink; gene regulation; piRNA; β-heterochromatin