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Plant transposable elements generate the DNA sequence diversity needed in evolution.

Z Schwarz-Sommer·A Gierl·H Cuypers·P A Peterson·H Saedler
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Abstract

Two germinal and 16 somatic reversion events induced by the Enhancer (En) transposable element system at the wx-8::Spm-I8 allele of Zea mays were cloned and studied by sequence analysis. Excision of the Spm-I8 receptor element from the wx gene results in various mutant DNA sequences. This leads to altered gene products, some of which are still capable of restoring the wild-type phenotype. Possible 'foot-print' sequences that may have arisen by the excision of transposable elements were observed when intron sequences of the wild-type (wx+) and mutant (wx-m8) alleles of the wx gene were compared. The sequence divergence generated by visitation of a locus by plant transposable elements is discussed with respect to the molecular evolution of the new gene functions.

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Base SequenceBiological EvolutionDNA Transposable ElementsDNA, PlantExonsGenes, PlantGenetic VariationIntronsMolecular Sequence DataZea maysJournal Article

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Z Schwarz-Sommer, A Gierl, H Cuypers, P A Peterson, H Saedler. 1985. Plant transposable elements generate the DNA sequence diversity needed in evolution.. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb03671.x

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