Summary
Two different factors control the mutability of an unstable allele (c2-m8810581) of the C2 gene of maize. Both an autonomous En/Spm element and an unrelated independent factor, named Mediator, are coordinately required for the excision of the insert in c2-m881058Y. According to genetic analysis, Mediator does not have the suppressor (S) function or mutator (M) function of En/Spm. Mediator has no effect on the timing or frequency of excision of Enl, En-low, or various I/dSpm elements. Hence, Mediator only mediates a specific interaction between En and the insert at c2m881058Y. Molecular analysis of c2-m881058Y has revealed a 3.3 kb, complex, En-related receptor element inserted into the second exon of the C2 gene. The ends of this element are homologous to the ends of En/Spm, but an internal l.7 kb region shows no En/Spm homology. A great degree (11–14%) of nucleotide changes, relative to Enl, occur within and between the 12 bp TNPA binding motifs. Alterations of these critical cis-determinants may account for the need for a “helper” factor for excision. This element is named Irma, for Inhibitor that requires Mediator also, and represents a unique, low copy number class of receptor element.
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Muszynski, M.G., Gierl, A. & Peterson, P.A. Genetic and molecular analysis of a three-component transposable-element system in maize. Molec. Gen. Genet. 237, 105–112 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00282790
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00282790