Increased recombination between active tRNA genes

Transfer RNA genes are distributed throughout eukaryotic genomes, and are frequently found as multicopy families. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, tRNA gene transcription by RNA polymerase III suppresses nearby transcription by RNA polymerase II, partially because the tRNA genes are clustered near the nucleolus. We have tested whether active transcription of tRNA genes might also suppress recombination, since recombination between identical copies of the repetitive tRNA genes could delete intervening genes and be detrimental to survival. The opposite proved to be the case. Recombination between active tRNA genes was elevated, but only when both genes are transcribed. We also tested the effects of tRNA genes on recombination between the direct terminal repeats of a neighboring retrotransposon, since most Ty retrotransposons reside next to tRNA genes, and the selective advantage of this arrangement is not known.