Abstract
The full-length 5218-bp sequence of the mobile genetic element Tdd-3 from Dictyostelium discoideum is described. Tdd-3 encodes two overlapping open reading frames (ORFs) flanked by non-redundant, untranslated regions. The deduced amino acid sequence of ORF2 is homologous to reverse transcriptases (RTs) encoded by the class of poly(A) retrotransposons. ORF2 also encodes a putative protein domain related to the family of apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases, whose retroelement-encoded homologs have recently been proposed to represent the integrase function of poly(A) retrotransposons. Comparison of several genomic Tdd-3 copies revealed that element insertion is orientation specific and occurs about 100 bp downstream of tRNA genes in the D. discoideum genome. These properties of Tdd-3 suggest that the element is a tRNA gene-associated poly(A) retroelement present in the D. discoideum genome. Analysis of several cloned cDNAs derived from Tdd-3-specific plus strand RNAs indicate that the element is transcribed and polyadenylated during the growth of D. discoideum cells.
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Received: 28 July 1997 / Accepted: 30 October 1997
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Winckler, T., Tschepke, C., de Hostos, E. et al. Tdd-3, a tRNA gene-associated poly(A) retrotransposon from Dictyostelium discoideum . Mol Gen Genet 257, 655–661 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004380050694
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004380050694