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Retrotransposon transposition intermediates are encapsidated into virus-like particles
T V Gorelova1, N L Resnick, N G Schuppe
1N.I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Moscow, USSR.
FEBS Letters
|February 27, 1989
Summary
Virus-like particles (VLPs) with reverse transcriptase activity are found in Drosophila cells and yeast. These VLPs contain intermediates, indicating they are key functional steps in retrotransposon transposition.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Virus-like particles (VLPs) are known to exist in various organisms.
- Retrotransposons are mobile genetic elements that replicate via reverse transcription.
- The precise role of VLPs in retrotransposon transposition has not been fully elucidated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and function of virus-like particles (VLPs) in Drosophila melanogaster.
- To determine if VLPs are involved in the process of retrotransposon transposition.
- To identify the molecular components within VLPs during transposition.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of nucleic acids isolated from VLPs in cultured Drosophila melanogaster cells.
- Induction of transposition in yeast to study VLP formation.
- Detection of retrotransposon transposition intermediates within VLPs.
Main Results:
- Virus-like particles (VLPs) with reverse transcriptase activity were consistently found in Drosophila melanogaster cultured cells.
- VLPs were also observed to form in yeast when transposition was induced.
- Nucleic acid analysis revealed intermediates characteristic of retrotransposon reverse transcription within these VLPs.
Conclusions:
- Reverse transcription occurs within VLPs.
- VLPs represent functional intermediates in the retrotransposon transposition pathway.
- These findings provide new insights into the mechanism of retrotransposon mobility.