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Identification of the coding sequence for a reverse transcriptase-like enzyme in a transposable genetic element in Drosophila melanogaster

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Abstract

The largest group of transposable elements in Drosophila melanogaster, copia-like elements1,2, share some important structural features with and are intimately related in evolution to vertebrate retroviruses2–12. To further clarify the relationship between retroviruses and copia-like transposable elements, we set out to determine the complete nucleotide sequence of the genome of 17.6, which has long terminal repeats homologous in nucleotide sequence to those of avian leukaemia–sarcoma virus12. We report here that 17.6 contains three long open reading frames comparable with gag, pol and env genes in retrovirus. At the level of amino acid sequence, the longest open reading frame of 17.6 includes a coding sequence similar to that for reverse transcriptase, suggesting a role for this enzyme in the life cycle of some Drosophila copia-like elements, analogous to the situation in retrovirus.

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Author notes

  1. Wataru Kugimiya

    Present address: Fuji Oil Co., Ltd, Izumi-Sano, Osaka, 596, Japan

  2. Yoshinori Matsuo

    Present address: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Kyushu University 60 School of Medicine, Fukuoka, 812, Japan

    Kaoru Saigo, Wataru Kugimiya, Yoshinori Matsuo, Satoshi Inouye, Katsuji Yoshioka & Shunji Yuki

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  1. Kaoru Saigo
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  2. Wataru Kugimiya
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  3. Yoshinori Matsuo
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  4. Satoshi Inouye
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  5. Katsuji Yoshioka
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  6. Shunji Yuki
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Saigo, K., Kugimiya, W., Matsuo, Y. et al. Identification of the coding sequence for a reverse transcriptase-like enzyme in a transposable genetic element in Drosophila melanogaster. Nature 312, 659–661 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/312659a0

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