Transposable Elements and Genome Evolution

✍ Scribed by John F. McDonald (auth.), John F. McDonald (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 287
• Series: Georgia Genetics Review 1 1
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Once considered merely `selfish' or `parasitic' DNA, transposable elements are today recognized as being of major biological significance. Not only are these elements a major source of mutation, they have contributed both directly and indirectly to the evolution of genome structure and function.
On October 8-10, 1999, 100 molecular biologists and evolutionists representing 11 countries met on the campus of The University of Georgia in Athens for the inaugural Georgia Genetics Symposium. The topics of presentations ranged from how the elements themselves have evolved to the impact transposable elements have had on the evolution of their host genomes. The papers in this volume therefore represent state-of-the-art thinking, by leading world experts in the field, on the evolutionary significance of transposable elements.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-vi
Introduction....Pages 1-2
Comparative genomics and evolutionary dynamics of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ty elements....Pages 3-13
Is the evolution of transposable elements modular?....Pages 15-25
Molecular paleontology of transposable elements from Arabidopsis thaliana ....Pages 27-37
Human L1 retrotransposition: insights and peculiarities learned from a cultured cell retrotransposition assay....Pages 39-51
Structure, functionality, and evolution of the BARE -1 retrotransposon of barley....Pages 53-63
Retrolyc1-1, a member of the Tntl retrotransposon super-family in the Lycopersicon peruvianum genome....Pages 65-72
Retrotransposon 1731 in Drosophila melanogaster changes retrovirus-like expression strategy in host genome....Pages 73-77
Regulatory potential of nonautonomous mariner elements and subfamily crosstalk....Pages 79-85
Phylogenetic evidence for Ty 1- copia -like endogenous retroviruses in plant genomes....Pages 87-93
Evidence for genomic regulation of the telomeric activity in Drosophila melanogaster ....Pages 95-102
How valuable are model organisms for transposable element studies?....Pages 103-111
Transposable elements and genome evolution: the case of Drosophila simulans ....Pages 113-120
Horizontal transfer of non-LTR retrotransposons in vertebrates....Pages 121-128
Sure facts, speculations, and open questions about the evolution of transposable element copy number....Pages 129-137
Transposon dynamics and the breeding system....Pages 139-148
Recently integrated human Alu repeats: finding needles in the haystack....Pages 149-161
Phylogenetic signals from point mutations and polymorphic Alu insertions....Pages 163-170
Transposable elements as the key to a 21st century view of evolution....Pages 171-179
Transposable elements as activators of cryptic genes in E. coli ....Pages 181-187
Drosophila telomeres: two transposable elements with important roles in chromosomes....Pages 189-196
Molecular domestication — more than a sporadic episode in evolution....Pages 197-207
Genomes were forged by massive bombardments with retroelements and retrosequences....Pages 209-238
Sectorial mutagenesis by transposable elements....Pages 239-248
Cell-surface area codes: mobile-element related gene switches generate precise and heritable cell-surface displays of address molecules that are used for constructing embryos....Pages 249-259
Transposable DNA elements and life history traits: II. Transposition of P DNA elements in somatic cells reduces fitness, mating activity, and locomotion of Drosophila melanogaster ....Pages 261-269
Host defenses to parasitic sequences and the evolution of epigenetic control mechanisms....Pages 271-287
Sex brings transposons and genomes into conflict....Pages 289-295
Back Matter....Pages 297-299

✦ Subjects

Human Genetics; Evolutionary Biology; Animal Anatomy / Morphology / Histology; Plant Sciences