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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing
Published on: July 7, 2020
The mariner Mos1 transposase produced in tobacco is active in vitro
Xavier Thomas1, Sabah Hedhili, Laurent Beuf
1Université François Rabelais de Tours, GICC, Parc de Grandmont, 37200 Tours, France.
Abstract:
The mariner-like transposon Mos1 is used for insertional mutagenesis and transgenesis in different animals (insects, nematodes), but has never been used in plants. In this paper, the transposition activity of Mos1 was tested in Nicotiana tabacum, but no transposition event was detected. In an attempt to understand the absence of in planta transposition, Mos1 transposase (MOS1) was produced and purified from transgenic tobacco (HMNtMOS1). HMNtMOS1 was able to perform all transposition reaction steps in vitro: binding to ITR, excision and integration of the same pseudo-transposon used in in planta transposition assays. The in vitro transposition reaction was not inhibited by tobacco nuclear proteins, and did not depend on the temperature used for plant growth. Several hypotheses are proposed that could explain the inhibition of HMNtMOS1 activity in planta.
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