LINE Retrotransposition Assays in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Long interspersed nuclear element (LINE) retrotransposons make up significant parts of mammalian genomes. They alter host genomes by direct mutagenesis through integration of new transposon copies, by mobilizing non-autonomous transposons, by changes in host gene activity due to newly integrated transposons and by recombination events between different transposon copies. As a consequence, LINEs can contribute to genetic disease. Simple model systems can be useful for the study of basic molecular and cellular biology of LINE retrotransposons. Here, we describe methods for the analysis of LINE retrotransposition in the well-established model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The ability to follow retrotransposition in budding yeast opens up the possibility of performing systematic screens for evolutionarily conserved interactions between LINE retrotransposons and their host cells.