Plant transposable elements generate the DNA sequence diversity needed in evolution
Schwarz-Sommer, Z.; Gierl, A.; Cuypers, H.; Peterson, P.A.; Saedler, H.
EMBO Journal 4(3): 591-597
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0261-4189 PMID: 15926219 Document Number: 263757
Two germinal and 16 somatic reversion events induced by the Enhancer (En) transposable element system at the wx-8::Spm-I8 allele of Zea mays were cloned and studied by sequence analysis. Excision of the Spm-I8 receptor element from the wx gene results in various mutant DNA sequences. This leads to altered gene products, some of which are still capable of restoring the wild-type phenotype. Possible 'foot-print' sequences that may have arisen by the excision of transposable elements were observed when intron sequences of the wild-type (wx+) and mutant (wx-m8) alleles of the wx gene were compared. The sequence divergence generated by visitation of a locus by plant transposable elements is discussed with respect to the molecular evolution of the new gene functions.