<i>Mutator</i>transposon insertions within maize genes often provide a novel outward reading promoter

Abstract The highly active family ofMutator(Mu) DNA transposons has been widely used for forward and reverse genetics in maize. There are examples ofMu-suppressible alleles which result in conditional phenotypic effects based on the activity ofMu. Phenotypes from theseMu- suppressible mutations are observed inMu-active genetic backgrounds, but absent whenMuactivity is lost. For someMu-suppressible alleles, phenotypic suppression likely results from an outward-reading promoter withinMuthat is only active when the autonomousMuelement is silenced or lost. We isolated 35Mualleles from the UniformMu population that represent insertions in 24 different genes. Most of these mutant alleles are due to insertions within gene coding sequences, but several 5’ UTR and intron insertions were included. RNA-seq andde novotranscript assembly were utilized to document the transcripts produced from 33 of theseMuinsertion alleles. For 20 of the 33 alleles, there was evidence of transcripts initiating within theMusequence reading through the gene. This outward-reading promoter activity was detected in multiple types ofMuelements and doesn’t depend on the orientation ofMu. Expression analyses ofMu-initiated transcripts revealed theMupromoter often provides gene expression levels and patterns that are similar to the wild-type gene. These results suggest theMupromoter may represent a minimal promoter that can respond to genecis-regulatory elements. Findings from this study have implications for maize researchers using the UniformMu population, and more broadly highlights a strategy for transposons to co-exist with their host.Article Summary Mutator(Mu) transposable elements are a widely used tool for insertional mutagenesis in maize and often insert in the 5’ regions of genes. The characterization of transcripts forMuinsertion alleles reveals complex transcripts. These often result in one transcript that covers the first portion of the gene terminating inMuand a second transcript initiating withinMucovering the latter portion of the gene. This may reflect a strategy forMuto minimize the consequences of insertions within genes..

Medienart:	Preprint

Erscheinungsjahr:	2023
Erschienen:	2023

Enthalten in:	bioRxiv.org - (2023) vom: 14. Dez. Zur Gesamtaufnahme - year:2023

Sprache:	Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:	Ellison, Erika L. [VerfasserIn] Zhou, Peng [VerfasserIn] Hermanson, Peter [VerfasserIn] Chu, Yi-Hsuan [VerfasserIn] Read, Andrew [VerfasserIn] Hirsch, Candice N. [VerfasserIn] Grotewold, Erich [VerfasserIn] Springer, Nathan M. [VerfasserIn]

Links:	Volltext [kostenfrei]

Themen:	570 Biology

doi:	10.1101/2023.06.05.543741

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PPN (Katalog-ID):	XBI039799670