Summary
We find a correlation between genetic activity, DNA methylation and transcription of the maize Ac element: in the active phase the Ac DNA is unmethylated and normally transcribed, in the inactive phase the DNA is highly methylated and no Ac transcript is detectable. After reversion to Ac activity the DNA is partly demethylated and the element is transcribed again. The distribution of CpG and GpC dinucleotides in the transcribed part of the Ac sequence is reminiscent of a CpG island and a neigh-boring inter-island region described in mammalian genes. A different distribution is observed in the termini of Ac where the dinucleotide GpC is strongly under-represented.
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Communicated by H. Saedler
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Kunze, R., Starlinger, P. & Schwartz, D. DNA methylation of the maize transposable element Ac interferes with its transcription. Mol Gen Genet 214, 325–327 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337730
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337730