FIND ARTICLE

SINE - INTER SPERSED ELEMENTS IN EUKARYOTIC GENOMES

Retroelements constitute a large fraction of the repetitive DNA of eukaryotic genomes. They include LTR (Long Terminal Repeat) and non-LTR retrotransposons, lacking the long terminal repeats and subdivided into LINEs (Long Interpersed Nuclear Elements) and SINEs (Short Interspersed Nuclear Elements), have been discovered as ubiquitous components of nuclear genomes in many species. LINEs are able to transpose autonomously, while non-autonomous SINEs depend on the reverse transcription machinery of other retrotransposons.

EVOLUTION OF NUCLEAR GENOME SIZE IN ANGIOSPERM PLANTS

Our understanding of the evolution of DNA content in angiosperm plants has improved in recent years. Genomes in angiosperms vary in DNA content over 1000-fold. Variations in plant genome size are primarily due to differences in ancestral polyploidy and the periodic burst in activity of retroele- ments. Genomic data show a strong correlation between the size of genome and the amount of retroele- ments. Gene duplication have contributed to the functional divergence of the duplicates, and have become a strong evolutionary force.

The Editorial Board
Andrzej Łukaszyk - przewodniczący, Zofia Bielańska-Osuchowska, Szczepan Biliński, Mieczysław Chorąży, Aleksander Koj, Włodzimierz Korochoda, Leszek Kuźnicki, Aleksandra Stojałowska, Lech Wojtczak

Editorial address:
Katedra i Zakład Histologii i Embriologii Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Poznaniu, ul. Święcickiego 6, 60-781 Poznań, tel. +48 61 8546453, fax. +48 61 8546440, email: mnowicki@ump.edu.pl

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