Mobilization of retrotransposons in synthetic allotetraploid tobacco.

Allopolyploidy is a major driving force in plant evolution and can induce rapid structural changes in the hybrid genome. As major components of plant genomes, transposable elements are involved in these changes. In a previous work, we observed turnover of retrotransposon insertions in natural allotretraploid tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). Here, we studied the early stages of allopolyploid formation by monitoring changes at retrotransposon insertion sites in the Th37 synthetic tobacco. We used sequence-specific amplification polymorphism (SSAP) to study insertion patterns of two populations of the Tnt1 retrotransposon in Th37 S4 generation plants, and characterized the nature of polymorphic insertion sites. We observed significant amplification of young Tnt1 populations. Newly transposed copies were amplified from maternal elements and were highly similar to Tnt1A tobacco copies amplified in response to microbial factors. A high proportion of paternal SSAP bands were not transmitted to the hybrid, corresponding to various rearrangements at paternal insertion sites, including indels or the complete loss of the Tnt1/flanking junction. These data indicate that major changes, such as retrotransposon amplification and molecular restructuring in or around insertion sites, occur rapidly in response to allopolyploidy.

Molecular genetic analysis of Drosophila eyes absent mutants reveals an eye enhancer element.

The eyes absent (eya) gene is critical for normal eye development in Drosophila and is highly conserved to vertebrates. To define regions of the gene critical for eye function, we have defined the mutations in the four viable eya alleles. Two of these mutations are eye specific and undergo transvection with other mutations in the gene. These were found to be deletion mutations that remove regulatory sequence critical for eye cell expression of the gene. Two other viable alleles cause a reduced eye phenotype and affect the function of the gene in additional tissues, such as the ocelli. These mutations were found to be insertion mutations of different transposable elements within the 5' UTR of the transcript. Detailed analysis of one of these revealed that the transposable element has become subject to regulation by eye enhancer sequences of the eya gene, disrupting normal expression of EYA in the eye. More extended analysis of the deletion region in the eye-specific alleles indicated that the deleted region defines an enhancer that activates gene expression in eye progenitor cells. This enhancer is responsive to ectopic expression of the eyeless gene. This analysis has defined a critical regulatory region required for proper eye expression of the eya gene.

Molecular analysis of Drosophila eyes absent mutants reveals features of the conserved Eya domain.

The eyes absent (eya) gene is critical to eye formation in Drosophila; upon loss of eya function, eye progenitor cells die by programmed cell death. Moreover, ectopic eya expression directs eye formation, and eya functionally synergizes in vivo and physically interacts in vitro with two other genes of eye development, sine oculis and dachshund. The Eya protein sequence, while highly conserved to vertebrates, is novel. To define amino acids critical to the function of the Eya protein, we have sequenced eya alleles. These mutations have revealed that loss of the entire Eya Domain is null for eya activity, but that alleles with truncations within the Eya Domain display partial function. We then extended the molecular genetic analysis to interactions within the Eya Domain. This analysis has revealed regions of special importance to interaction with Sine Oculis or Dachshund. Select eya missense mutations within the Eya Domain diminished the interactions with Sine Oculis or Dachshund. Taken together, these data suggest that the conserved Eya Domain is critical for eya activity and may have functional subregions within it.

Widespread occurence of mariner transposons in coastal crabs.

Mariner-like elements (MLEs) are ubiquitous DNA mobile elements found in almost all eukaryote genomes. Nevertheless most of the known copies are inactive and the question of the genome invasion by MLEs remains largely hypothetical. We have previously reported the presence of highly homologous copies of MLEs in the genome of phylogenetically distant crustacea living in the same hydrothermal environment suggesting the possibility of horizontal transfer. In order to further support the hypothesis that horizontal transmission of MLEs might occur between crustacean sympatric species, we described here 85 MLE sequences found in the genome of a large spectrum of coastal crab species. The number of the MLEs copies in genomes was variable. Half of these MLEs fit with the irritans subfamily of MLEs whereas the second half grouped in a new subfamily called marmoratus. In addition, a molecular phylogeny of crabs was established by using the 16S information. The comparison between 16S and MLEs based trees reveals their incongruence, and suggests either the existence of horizontal transfer events between phylogenetically distant species, or an ancestral MLE polymorphism followed by different evolution and stochastic loss.

Species sympatry and horizontal transfers of Mariner transposons in marine crustacean genomes.

Mariner-like elements (MLEs) have been widely detected in terrestrial species. The first complete MLE isolated from a marine invertebrate was detected in the genome of the hydrothermal crab Bythograea thermydron by Halaimia-Toumi et al. [Halaimia-Toumi, N., Casse, N., Demattei, M.V., Renault, S., Pradier, E., Bigot, Y., Laulier, M., 2004. The GC-rich transposon Bytmar1 from the deep-sea hydrothermal crab, Bythograea thermydron, may encode three transposase isoforms from a single ORF. J. Mol. Evol. 59, 747-760] and called Bytmar1. Here, we report the isolation of three new Bytmar1 relatives from the genomes of one hydrothermal amphipod Ventiella sulfuris (Vensmar1) and two coastal crustacea, Maia brachydactila (Maibmar1) and Cancer pagurus (Canpmar1). Like Bytmar1, these MLEs have an unusually high GC content, a high CpG ratio, and a low TpA ratio. Their consensus sequence encodes a transposase that is preceded by an N-flag, as in Bytmar1, which could be a marine feature. Only one of the 19 clones obtained, Vensmar1.3, encoded for a full-length transposase. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that all these Bytmar1-related elements can be differentiated into two clusters, corresponding to the coastal or hydrothermal origin of their hosts. They also confirmed that the irritans sub-family comprises at least four lineages that seem to depend on the taxonomical position and habitat of their hosts. Finally, we observed that elements coding for two potentially complete transposases exhibiting 99.5% similarity, Bytmar1.11 and Vensmar1.3, were present in the genome of two distantly related hydrothermal crustacea, one Amphipod and one Decapod. The hypothesis of horizontal transfers is discussed in the light of the sequence similarities observed.

Acid-base catalysis in the argininosuccinate lyase reaction.

The pH variation of the kinetic parameters, Vmax and V/K, was examined for the forward and reverse reaction of bovine liver argininosuccinate lyase. In the forward reaction the Vmax profile showed one group that must be unprotonated for activity over the pH range 5-10. The V/K profile for argininosuccinate showed one group that must be unprotonated and two groups that must be protonated for activity. The Vmax profile for the reverse reaction showed only one group that must be protonated for activity. These results support the proposal that catalysis is facilitated in the forward reaction by a general base that abstracts a proton from C-3 of argininosuccinate and a general acid that donates a proton to the guanidinium nitrogen during carbon-nitrogen bond cleavage. The enzyme is completely inactivated by diethyl pyrocarbonate or a water-soluble carbodiimide at pH 6. These experiments suggest that a histidine and a carboxyl group are at or near the active site and are essential for catalytic activity. The observed shifts of the pH profiles of the forward reaction with temperature and organic solvent (25% dioxane) were also consistent with a histidine and carboxylate group.

The Drosophila eyes absent gene directs ectopic eye formation in a pathway conserved between flies and vertebrates.

The fly eyes absent (eya) gene which is essential for compound eye development in Drosophila, was shown to be functionally replaceable in eye development by a vertebrate Eya homolog. The relationship between eya and that of the eyeless gene, a Pax-6 homolog, critical for eye formation in both flies and man, was defined: eya was found to be essential for eye formation by eyeless. Moreover, eya could itself direct ectopic eye formation, indicating that eya has the capacity to function as a master control gene for eye formation. Finally, we show that eya and eyeless together were more effective in eye formation than either gene alone. These data indicate conservation of the pathway of eya function between flies and vertebrates; they suggest a model whereby eya/Eya gene function is essential for eye formation by eyeless/Pax-6, and that eya/Eya can in turn mediate, via a regulatory loop, the activity of eyeless/Pax-6 in eye formation.

Functional analysis of an eye enhancer of the Drosophila eyes absent gene: differential regulation by eye specification genes.

Genes involved in eye development are highly conserved between vertebrates and Drosophila. Given the complex genetic network controlling early eye development, identification of regulatory sequences controlling gene expression will provide valuable insights toward understanding central events of early eye specification. We have focused on defining regulatory elements critical for Drosophila eyes absent (eya) expression. Although eya has a complex expression pattern during development, analysis of eye-specific mutations in the gene revealed a region selectively deleted in the eye-specific alleles. Here we have performed detailed analysis of the region deleted in the eye-specific eya(2) allele. This analysis shows that this region can direct early eya gene expression in a pattern consistent with that of normal eya in eye progenitor cells. Functional studies indicate that this element will restore appropriate eya transcript expression to rescue the eye-specific allele. We have examined regulation of this element during eye specification, both in normal eye development and in ectopic eye formation. These studies demonstrate that the element was activated upon ectopic expression of the eye specification genes eyeless and dachshund, but does not respond to ectopic expression of eya or sine oculis. The differential regulation of this element by genes involved during early retinal formation reveals new aspects of the genetic hierarchy of eye development.

Expanded polyglutamine protein forms nuclear inclusions and causes neural degeneration in Drosophila.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3/MJD) is one of at least eight human neurodegenerative diseases caused by glutamine-repeat expansion. We have recreated glutamine-repeat disease in Drosophila using a segment of the SCA3/MJD protein. Targeted expression of the protein with an expanded polyglutamine repeat led to nuclear inclusion (NI) formation and late-onset cell degeneration. Differential sensitivity to the mutant transgene was observed among different cell types, with neurons being particularly susceptible; NI formation alone was not sufficient for degeneration. The viral antiapoptotic gene P35 mitigated polyglutamine-induced degeneration in vivo. Our results demonstrate that cellular mechanisms of human glutamine-repeat disease are conserved in invertebrates. This fly model will aid in identifying additional factors that modulate neurodegeneration.

Cloning and characterization of two vertebrate homologs of the Drosophila eyes absent gene.

The Drosophila eyes absent (eya) gene plays an essential role in the events that lead to proper development of the fly eye and embryo. Here we report the analysis of two human and two mouse homologs of the fly eya gene. Sequence comparison reveals a large domain of approximately 270 amino acids in the carboxyl terminus of the predicted mammalian proteins that shows 53% identity between the fly sequence and all of the vertebrate homologs. This Eya-homology domain is of novel sequence, with no previously identified motifs. RNA hybridization studies indicate that the mouse genes are expressed during embryogenesis and in select tissues of the adult. Both mouse Eya genes are expressed in the eye, suggesting that these genes may function in eye development in vertebrates as eya does in the fly. The mouse Eya2 gene maps to chromosome 2 in the region syntenic with human chromosome 20q13, and the mouse Eya2 gene maps to chromosome 4 in the region syntenic with human chromosome 1p36. Our findings support the notion that several families of genes (Pax-6/eyeless, Six-3/sine oculis, and Eya) play related and critical roles in the eye for both files and vertebrates.