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PubMed · 9461398

Plant transposons: contributors to evolution?

W E Lönnig·H Saedler
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Abstract

A spectrum of different hypotheses has been presented by various authors, from plant transposable elements as major agents in evolution to the very opposite, transposons as mainly selfish DNA constituting a genetic burden for the organisms. The following review will focus on: (1) a short survey of the two main different assessments of transposable elements (TEs) concerning the origin of species (selfish vs useful DNA); (2) the significance of the hierarchy of gene functions and redundancies for TE activities (selfish in non-redundant parts of the genome, but as a source of variability in the rest); (3) the relevance of the results of TE research in Zea mays and Antirrhinum majus for species formation in the wild (contrast between artificial and natural selection); (4) three areas of research where a synthesis between the two different evaluations of TEs seems possible: regressive evolution, the origin of ecotypes and the origin of cultivated plants; and (5) some possible prospects regarding TE-induced species formation in the angiosperms in general, i.e., the basic difference between systematic and genetic species concepts and the conceivable origin of a large part of angiosperm morphospecies owing to loss of function and further mutations by TE activities.

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DNADNA Transposable ElementsEvolution, MolecularPlantsJournal ArticleReview

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W E Lönnig, H Saedler. 1997-12-31. Plant transposons: contributors to evolution?. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-1119(97)00397-1

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