A role for reverse transcripts in gene conversion

@article{Derr1993ARF,
  title={A role for reverse transcripts in gene conversion},
  author={Leslie Derr and Jeffrey N. Strathern},
  journal={Nature},
  year={1993},
  volume={361},
  pages={170-173}
}
RECOMBINATION between a diffusible reverse transcript and its homologous chromosomal allele has been proposed as a mechanism for the precise removal of introns from DNA and gene conversion of dispersed repeated sequences1,2. We have reported that RNA-mediated recombination occurs in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae3. This recombination requires expression of the retrotransposon Ty, and results in intron loss from a plasmid-borne marker gene and the formation of pseudogenes. Because the… 
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138 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
9
Background Citations
56
Methods Citations
9
Results Citations
2

138 Citations

The involvement of cellular recombination and repair genes in RNA-mediated recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
TLDR
It is found that mutation of the mitotic RecA homologs RAD51, RAD55, and RAD57 increases the rate of RNA-mediated recombination relative to the wild type, and that these gene functions are not required for RNA- mediated gene conversion.
Retrosequence formation restructures the yeast genome.
TLDR
It is reported that Ty1-dependent formation of retrosequences derived from single-copy gene transcripts is progressively elevated as yeast cells senesce in the absence of telomerase, supporting a role for reverse transcripts in promoting chromosome rearrangements.
Efficient homologous recombination of Ty1 element cDNA when integration is blocked.
TLDR
Ty1 cDNA is utilized much more efficiently for homologous recombination when IN-mediated integration is blocked, and multimeric insertions occurred without altering the levels of total Ty1 RNA, virus-like particle-associated RNA or cDNA, Ty1 capsid proteins, or IN.
Retrotransposon reverse-transcriptase-mediated repair of chromosomal breaks
TLDR
It is shown that DSBs can be fixed by the insertion of complementary DNAs at the break site, and this data support a role for endogenous retroelements in the repair of chromosomal breaks.
A mitochondrial retroplasmid integrates into mitochondrial DNA by a novel mechanism involving the synthesis of a hybrid cDNA and homologous recombination.
TLDR
This analysis suggests that a simple integration mechanism involving template switching to generate a hybrid cDNA that integrates homologously could have been used by primitive retroelements prior to the acquisition of a specialized integration machinery.
Reverse transcription of spliced psbA mRNA in Chlamydomonas spp. and its possible role in evolutionary intron loss.
TLDR
In vivo evidence is provided for reverse transcription of a physiologically important mRNA (psbA) in two naturally occurring species of Chlamydomonas that have also lost an intron from the same gene, possibly through recombination with the cDNA.
High frequency cDNA recombination of the saccharomyces retrotransposon Ty5: The LTR mediates formation of tandem elements.
TLDR
It is proposed that recombination is initiated between the LTRs of the cDNA and substrate and that internal sequences promote tandem element formation by facilitating sequence alignment.
Transcript RNA supports precise repair of its own DNA gene
TLDR
It is found that transcript RNA is more efficient in repairing a DSB in its own DNA than in a homologous but ectopic locus (in trans), and an antagonistic role of RNase H in RNA-DNA recombination is highlighted.
RNA-templated DNA repair
TLDR
It is shown here thatRNA can serve as a template for DNA synthesis during repair of a chromosomal DSB in yeast, and the observation that even yeast replicative DNA polymerases such as α and δ can copy short RNA template tracts in vitro demonstrate that RNA can transfer genetic information in vivo through direct homologous interaction with chromosomal DNA.
DNA Recombination
TLDR
Some general strategies to monitor a subset of the genomic instabilities: spontaneous mitotic recombination and chromosome loss, in both haploid and diploid cells are outlined.
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References

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RNA-mediated recombination in S. cerevisiae
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