Antisense Transcription of Retrotransposons in Drosophila: An Origin of Endogenous Small Interfering RNA Precursors

• Published in: Genetics (Austin) Vol. 202; no. 1; p. 107
• Main Authors: Russo, Joseph, Harrington, Andrew W, Steiniger, Mindy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda Genetics Society of America 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Drosophila melanogaster; Genetics; Insects; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Transcription factors

Movement of transposons causes insertions, deletions, and chromosomal rearrangements potentially leading to premature lethality in Drosophila melanogaster. To repress these elements and combat genomic instability, eukaryotes have evolved several small RNA-mediated defense mechanisms. Specifically, i...