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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Transposition and Recombination02:13

Overview of Transposition and Recombination

Transposons make up a significant part of genomes of various organisms. Therefore, it is believed that transposition played a major evolutionary role in speciation by changing genome sizes and modifying gene expression patterns. For example, in bacteria, transposition can lead to conferring antibiotic resistance. Movement of transposable elements within the genetic pool of pathogenic bacteria can aid in transfer of antibiotic-resistant genetic elements. In eukaryotes, transposons can carry out...
DNA-only Transposons02:57

DNA-only Transposons

DNA-only transposons are called autonomous transposons since they code for the enzyme transposase that is required for the transposition mechanism. Insertion of transposons can alter gene functions in multiple ways. They can mutate the gene, alter gene expression by introducing a novel promoter or insulator sequence, introduce new splice sites, and change the mRNA transcripts produced, or remodel chromatin structure.
The donor site from where the transposon is excised is either degraded or...
Transposons01:24

Transposons

Transposons, or "jumping genes," are small mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that range from 700 to 40,000 base pairs in length. They are found in all organisms and can move within the same chromosome or transfer to different chromosomes. In some cases, transposons can also jump between different host DNA molecules, such as plasmids or viruses, contributing to genetic variability.Barbara McClintock first discovered these mobile genetic elements in the 1940s while studying maize genetics, and she...
LTR Retrotransposons03:08

LTR Retrotransposons

LTR retrotransposons are class I transposable elements with long terminal repeats flanking an internal coding region. These elements are less abundant in mammals compared to other class I transposable elements. About 8 percent of human genomic DNA comprises LTR retrotransposons. Some of the common examples of LTR retrotransposons are Ty elements in yeast and Copia elements in Drosophila.
The internal coding region of LTR retrotransposons and their mechanism of transposition closely resembles a...
Reporter Genes02:11

Reporter Genes

Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.
Commonly used reporter...
Non-LTR Retrotransposons03:18

Non-LTR Retrotransposons

As the name suggests, non-LTR retrotransposons lack the long terminal repeats characteristic of the LTR retrotransposons. Additionally, both LTR and non-LTR retrotransposons use distinct mechanisms of mobilization. Non-LTR retrotransposons are further divided into two classes - Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) and short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs), both of which occur abundantly in most mammals, including humans. Some of the active non-LTR retrotransposons in humans are L1...

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Interaction between maternal effect and zygotic effect mutations during maize seed development.

Genetics·2001
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mediator of paramutation1 is required for establishment and maintenance of paramutation at multiple maize loci.

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Molecular consequences of Ds insertion into and excision from the helix-loop-helix domain of the maize R gene.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Scalable Transfection of Maize Mesophyll Protoplasts
08:38

Scalable Transfection of Maize Mesophyll Protoplasts

Published on: June 23, 2023

Probing the component structure of a maize gene with transposable elements.

J L Kermicle

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |June 27, 1980
    PubMed
    Summary

    Maize R gene instability was linked to Dissociation (Ds) element insertion, affecting kernel color. Removing Modulator (Mp) stabilized R gene expression, suggesting a dual-component R functional unit.

    Area of Science:

    • Genetics
    • Molecular Biology
    • Plant Science

    Background:

    • Controlling elements like Dissociation (Ds) and Modulator (Mp) are known to influence gene expression and genome stability in maize.
    • The R gene in maize controls pigment production, with different alleles specifying distinct patterns of coloration in kernels and plants.
    • Gene instability can arise from transposable element activity, leading to unpredictable phenotypic changes.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the molecular basis of R gene instability in maize associated with controlling elements.
    • To determine the role of Dissociation (Ds) and Modulator (Mp) elements in R gene transposition and expression.
    • To elucidate the functional structure of the R gene, particularly its components governing tissue-specific pigmentation.

    Main Methods:

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    Discrimintion and Mapping of the Primary and Processed Transcripts in Maize Mitochondrion Using a Circular RT-PCR-based Strategy
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    Discrimintion and Mapping of the Primary and Processed Transcripts in Maize Mitochondrion Using a Circular RT-PCR-based Strategy

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    Last Updated: Jul 12, 2026

    Scalable Transfection of Maize Mesophyll Protoplasts
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    Published on: June 23, 2023

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    Discrimintion and Mapping of the Primary and Processed Transcripts in Maize Mitochondrion Using a Circular RT-PCR-based Strategy
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    • Analysis of maize stocks exhibiting irregular kernel pigmentation.
    • Molecular mapping of Ds insertion sites relative to R gene regulatory regions.
    • Genetic crosses to assess the effect of Modulator (Mp) removal on R gene stability.
    • Recombination studies to restore R gene function and analyze pigmenting activity.

    Main Results:

    • Three instances of R gene instability were identified, each involving the transposition of Ds or a Ds-like element to the R locus.
    • Ds insertion disrupted R gene function, leading to irregular inhibition of kernel pigmentation.
    • Removal of the Modulator (Mp) element from the genome resulted in the stabilization of R gene expression at low to intermediate levels.
    • Recombination with an R allele specifying plant pigmentation restored strong pigmenting action in the new R gene forms.
    • Ds insertion sites were mapped distal to the region controlling seed versus plant expression, indicating specific regulatory interactions.

    Conclusions:

    • The R gene functional unit appears to comprise at least two components: one for tissue-specific expression and another common to alleles with varying tissue-specific activities.
    • Dissociation (Ds) element activity is directly implicated in R gene instability and disruption of pigment production.
    • Modulator (Mp) plays a role in regulating the stability of R gene expression, potentially by influencing Ds activity or R gene accessibility.
    • Understanding the modular nature of the R gene provides insights into gene regulation and the impact of transposable elements in complex genomes.