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Iu V Il'in

Publications and source records attributed to Iu V Il'in.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Retrotransposon gtwin: structural analysis and distribution in Drosophila melanogaster strains].

A search for noncanonical variants of the gypsy retrotransposon (MDG4) in the genome of the Drosophila melanogaster strain G32 led to the cloning of four copies of the poorly studied 7411-bp gtwin element. Sequence analysis showed that gtwin belongs to a family of endogeneous retroviruses, which are widespread in the Drosophila genome and have recently been termed insect erantiviruses. The gtwin retrotransposon is evolutionarily closest to MDG4, as evident from a good alignment of their nucleotide sequences including ORF1 (the pol gene) and ORF3 (the env gene), as well as the amino acid sequences of their protein products. These regions showed more than 75% homology. The distribution of gtwin was studied in several strains of the genus Drosophila. While strain G32 contained more than 20 copies of the element, ten other D. melanogaster strains carried gtwin in two to six copies per genome. The gtwin element was not detected in D. hydei or D. virilis. Comparison of the cloned gtwin sequences with the gtwin sequence available from the D. melanogaster genome database showed that the two variants of the mobile element differ by the presence or absence of a stop codon in the central region of ORF3. Its absence from the gtwin copies cloned from the strain G32 may indicate an association between the functional state of ORF3 and amplification of the element.

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[Diversity of LTR retrotransposons and their role in genome reorganization].

Current views of retrotransposons possessing long terminal repeats (LTRs) are described. The existing classification and element types isolated by genome organization are considered. Experimental data are summarized to demonstrate that the replicative cycle of a retrotransposon is not restricted to a single cell and that LTR retrotransposons are transferred between somatic cells with a rate comparable with the element transposition rate within the genome of one cell. The major mechanisms mediating the role of LTR retrotransposons in reorganization of the genome are considered with regard to the strategies of their horizontal and vertical transfer.

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[Retrotransposon MDG4 and its role in genetic instability of a mutator strain of Drosophila melanogaster].

This article summarizes the results of a ten-year study of genetic instability of a mutator strain of Drosophila melanogaster caused by transposition of the gypsy retrotransposon. The results of other authors working with an analogous system are analyzed. Possible mechanisms are suggested for the interaction of gypsy with the cell gene flamenco that participates in transposition control of this mobile element.

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[Errantiviruses of Drosophila].

The view on Drosophila long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, which have three reading frames, as endogenous retroviruses or errantiviruses (ERVs, according to the latest ICTV nomenclature) is discussed. Data on the biology of ERVs and the mechanisms of their involvement in genetic instability of Drosophila are considered.

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[Interlineage distribution and characteristics of the structure of two subfamilies of Drosophila melanogaster MDG4 (gypsy) retrotransposon].

The distribution of two variants of MDG4 (gypsy) was analyzed in several Drosophila melanogaster strains. Southern blot hybridization revealed the inactive variant of MDG4 in all strains examined and active MDG4 only in some of them. Most of the strains harboring the active MDG4 variant were recently isolated from natural populations. It is of interest that the active MDG4 prevailed over the inactive one only in strains carrying the mutant flamenco gene. Several lines were analyzed in more detail. The number of MDG4 sites on salivary-gland polytene chromosomes was established via in situ hybridization, and MDG4 was tested for transposition using the ovoD test.

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[Mobile genetic element MDG4 (gypsy) in Drosophila melanogaster. Features of structure and regulation of transposition].

Distribution of two structural functional variants of the MDG4 (gypsy) mobile genetic element was examined in 44 strains of Drosophila melanogaster. The results obtained suggest that less transpositionally active MDG4 variant is more ancient component of the Drosophila genome. Using Southern blotting, five strains characterized by increased copy number of MDG4 with significant prevalence of the active variant over the less active one were selected for further analysis. Genetic analysis of these strains led to the suggestion that some of them carry factors that mobilize MDG4 independently from the cellular flamenco gene known to be responsible for transposition of this element. Other strains probably contained a suppressor of the flam- mutant allele causing active transpositions of the MDG4. Thus, the material for studying poorly examined relationships between the retrovirus and the host cell genome was obtained.

Animals↗

[Trans-mobilization of deletion copies of the mdg3 retrotransposon in cultured cells of Drosophila].

A model system was studied that was associated with the selective amplification of shortened copies of the mdg3 retrotransposon in cultured cells of Drosophila melanogaster. While full-length mdg3 is present in all species phylogenetically closely related to D. melanogaster, the distribution of its deletion copy mdg3del was shown to be restricted only to D. melanogaster strains. mdg3del appeared to be amplified in two Drosophila cell lines of different origin. A "generalized" (statistically averaged) sequence of the shortened copy from a cell line Schneider2 was determined. The structure of this copy was shown to be the same as in the other tested strains of Drosophila. In addition to the major deletion involving the reverse transcriptase domain and a part of the ribonuclease H domain, several other deletions, insertions, and point substitutions were also revealed in shortened copies. The population of shortened copies was shown to result from the amplification of a single mdg3del copy in the genome of Schneider2 cells. The results obtained suggest that defective copies of the retrotransposon can be trans-mobilized in cultured cells and that the mechanisms of retroamplification in cell cultures and in an organism are different.

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[Endogenous cellular reverse transcriptase in the rat brain. A comparative analysis of the authentic enzyme and recombinant reverse transcriptase coded by a mobile genetic element of the LINE class].

A purified preparation of endogenous RNA-dependent DNA-polymerase (reverse transcriptase) earlier identified in rat brain (Ivanov, V.A., Pakhotin, P.I., Bobkova, N.V., and Ilyin, Yu.V. parallel Dokl. RAN (1992). V. 323, P. 173-177) has been obtained. A comparative analysis of the enzyme and recombinant reverse transcriptase coded by the mobile genome element jockey earlier expressed in a heterological cell system (Ivanov V.V., Melnikov A.A., Siunov A.V., Fodor I.I., Ilyin, Yu.V. parallel EMBO J. (1991), V. 10, P. 2489-2495) has been carried out. Like retroviral RNA-dependent DNA-polymerases, these enzymes show preference for polyribonucleotides and can use poly(rCm) as template. Besides they are inhibited by SH-reagents and require bivalent cations (Mg2+ or Mn2+) and detergent and/or KCl as ionic strength carrier. The enzymes differ drastically from retrovirus reverse transcriptases by a number of catalytic properties (low optima of concentration of requisite cations and ionic strength, strong preference for Mn2+, highly efficiency in using poly(rCm), lack of associated RNase H activity) but exhibit a high degree of similarity among themselves with regard to the above properties. It is suggested that endogenous reverse transcriptase from rat brain is a product of expression of the mobile genome element of the LINE family.

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[Features of the structure of the 7K-copy of Drosophila MDG4 (gypsy) retrotransposon provides evidence that the 7K-subfamily of MDG4 is potentially capable of transposition].

The complete nucleotide sequence of the 7K variant of the gypsy retrotransposon of Drosophila melanogaster was determined. This variant belongs to the 7K subfamily of gypsy, which was previously considered inactive. All differences found in the sequenced 7K copy compared to the transpositionally active 6K variants were point mutations. These nucleotide substitutions account for about 1% of the total base pair number of gypsy. Long terminal repeats (LTR) have the highest rate of nucleotide substitutions However, changes in nontranslated regions did not involve the promoter region and other supposed cis-acting elements. Sixteen amino acid substitutions were found in the coding region of gypsy. These substitutions were mainly located on the boarders of potential functional domains and within the third open reading frame (ORF3). Comparative analysis of structures of these two variants of gypsy suggests the potential ability of 7K copies to transpose.

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