The Saccharomyces Ty5 Retrotransposon Family Is Associated with Origins of DNA Replication at the Telomeres and the Silent Mating Locus HMR SIGE Zou, DAVID A
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 92, pp. 920-924, January 1995 Genetics The Saccharomyces Ty5 retrotransposon family is associated with origins of DNA replication at the telomeres and the silent mating locus HMR SIGE Zou, DAVID A. WRIGHT, AND DANIEL F. VOYTAS* Department of Zoology and Genetics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 Communicated by Mary Lou Pardue, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, October 3, 1994 ABSTRACT We have characterized the genomic organi- with tRNA genes has been well documented, and most Ty3 zation of the TyS retrotransposons among diverse strains of insertions are located within a few bases of the transcription Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the related species Saccharomyces start site of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase III (pol III) paradoxus. The S. cerevisiae strain S288C (or its derivatives) (4). The fourth retrotransposon family, Ty4, is represented by carries eight Ty5 insertions. Six of these are located near the a single insertion on chr III. This element is within 300 bp of telomeres, and five are found within 500 bp of autonomously a tRNA gene, and tRNA genes are associated with 10 of 12 Ty4 replicating sequences present in the type X subtelomeric insertions currently in the sequence data base (GenBank, repeat. The remaining two S. cerevisiae elements are adjacent release 83.0). Thus, a target bias, and in particular a preference to the silent mating locus HMR and are located within 500 bp for tRNA genes, is readily apparent from the genomic orga- of the origin of replication present in the transcriptional nization of endogenous Tyl-4 elements. silencer HMR-E. Although the S. cerevisiae TyS elements no Transposition assays have made it possible to monitor the longer appear capable of transposition, some strains of S. target choice of de novo Tyl or Ty3 transposition events. For paradoxus have numerous Ty5 insertions, suggesting that example, Tyl target preference was analyzed by determining transposition is occurring in this species. Most of these integration sites for 32 independent transposition events onto elements are adjacent to type X telomeric repeats, and regions chr III (3). Over half (57%) were within 400 bp upstream of flanking four of five characterized S. paradoxus insertions tRNA genes. Similarly, Ty3 integrates within 1-4 nt of the carry autonomously replicating sequences. The genomic or- transcription start site of genes transcribed by pol III (5-7). ganization of the Ty5 elements is in marked contrast to the Target specificity for Ty3 requires the assembly of the pol III other S. cerevisiae retrotransposon families (Tyl-4), which are transcription complex, and the transcription factor TFIIIB has typically located within 500 bp of tRNA genes. For Ty3, this been directly implicated in directing Ty3 integration (6, 7). The association reflects an interaction between Ty3 and the RNA target bias observed from the genomic organization ofTyl and polymerase III transcription complex, which appears to direct Ty3 insertions, therefore, apparently reflects a mechanism that integration [Chalker, D. L. & Sandmeyer, S. B. (1992) Genes directs these elements to particular sites in the genome and, at Dev. 6, 117-128]. By analogy to Ty3, we predict that Ty5 target least for Ty3, to the pol III transcription complex. choice is specified by interactions with factors present at both An additional S. cerevisiae retrotransposon family, desig- the telomeres and HMR that are involved in DNA replication, nated TyS, was discovered upon examination of the DNA transcriptional silencing, or the maintenance of the unique sequence of chr III (8). In contrast to the other Ty element chromatin structure at these sites. families, none of the three TyS insertions on chr III resides near tRNA genes (3). We have analyzed additional Ty5 target sites Retrotransposons are mobile genetic elements that replicate among S. cerevisiae strains and species closely related to S. by reverse transcription of an RNA intermediate. The final cerevisiae to determine whether the Ty5 family has a target site step in the retrotransposon life cycle is the integration of an bias and to characterize the nature of such sites.t element into a new site in the host genome. Integration may be deleterious to the host cell because it can cause mutations or MATERIALS AND METHODS lead to chromosome rearrangements. Mechanisms that mini- mize this damage preserve the host's genetic integrity and also Strains. Table 1 lists yeast strains used in this study, with the allow retrotransposons to replicate and maintain viable pop- exception of YH51 (MATa, his4-539, lys2-801, spt3-202, ura3- ulations. In the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae mechanisms 52) (gift of J. Boeke, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, have evolved that limit the negative consequences of integra- Baltimore), which was used to assay replication activity. tion by directing transposition to specific sites in the genome. DNA Manipulations. Southern hybridization filters contain- Target preference of the S. cerevisiae retrotransposons has ing yeast genomic DNA or yeast chromosomes that had been been made strikingly evident by the recent genome sequencing separated on pulsed-field gels were prepared as described (9). efforts. Insertions of the four best-characterized retrotrans- Filters were hybridized as in ref. 10 with DNA fragments that poson families (Tyl-4) are found within the nucleotide se- had been radiolabeled by random priming (Promega). Hybrid- quences of chromosomes III and XI (chr III and chr XI, ization probes included either restriction fragments of the respectively) (1, 2). Of the 28 insertions representing the TyS-1 element (see Fig. 1A) or long terminal repeat (LTR) closely related Tyl and Ty2 retrotransposons, 27 are found and type X repeat probes generated by PCR amplification (9). within 500 bp of tRNA genes (or 500 bp from a Ty element in The LTR probes were generated from the TyS-1 element of S. cases of multiple insertions at a single tRNA gene) (3). For the cerevisiae (DVO115 = AGTAATGCTTTAGTATTG; Ty3 element family, a single insertion is found on chr XI within the promoter region of a tRNA gene. The association of Ty3 Abbreviations: chr, chromosome; pol III, RNA polymerase III; LTR, long terminal repeat; ARS, autonomously replicating sequence; ACS, autonomously replicating consensus sequence. The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge *To whom reprint requests should be addressed. payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in tThe sequences reported in this paper have been deposited in the accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. GenBank data base (accession nos. U19263 and U19264). 920 Downloaded by guest on September 28, 2021 Genetics: Zou et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92 (1995) 921 DVO116 = TAGTAAGTTTATTGGACC) or the Ty5-5 el- Table 1. Yeast strains used in this study ement from Saccharomyces paradoxus (DVO182 = GGGTA- Strain Ty5 copy ATGTTTCAGT; DVO116). The X probe was amplified with designation no.* Sourcet primers whose sequences were derived from the X repeat at Species the left telomere of chr III (DVO196 = TGCTCGAGTATAT- Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y-12632 0 NRRL ACCATCTCAAA; DVO197 = AGGTCGACTCATATCAT- S. cerevisiae A364a 2 J. Boeke GCTATTGG). Filters of overlapping phage A clones of S. S. cerevisiae S288C 1 J. Boeke cerevisiae strain AB972 were obtained from the American S. cerevisiae SKi 1 J. Boeke Type Culture Collection. An S. paradoxus minilibrary was Saccharomyces chevalierit Y-12633 0 NRRL constructed in pBluescript (Stratagene) with size-selected Saccharomyces italicust Y-12649 2 NRRL DNA from strain NRRL Y-17217. Ligation products were Saccharomyces norbensist Y-12656 2 NRRL introduced into Escherichia coli by electroporation, and de- Saccharomyces oleaceust Y-12657 1 NRRL sired recombinants were identified by colony hybridization Saccharomyces diastaticust Y-2416 2 NRRL using the internal probe from Ty5-1 (see Fig. 1A) (9). DNA Saccharomyces hienipiensist Y-6677 2 NRRL sequences were determined with the fmol DNA sequencing kit Saccharomyces oleaginosust Y-6679 2 NRRL (Promega), or by the Nucleic Acid Facility of Iowa State Saccharomyces heterogenicus Y-1354 0 NRRL University. Sequence analysis was performed by using Genet- Saccharomyces bayanus Y-12624 0 NRRL ics Computer Group computer programs (11). Saccharomyces kluyveri Y-12651 0 NRRL Test for DNA Replication Activity. Several TyS elements and Saccharomyces dairensis Y-12639 0 NRRL their flanking sequences were tested for the ability to sustain Saccharomyces exiguus Y-12640 0 NRRL plasmid replication in S. cerevisiae. For Ty5-S, the 3' flanking Saccharomyces unisporus Y-1556 0 NRRL region was subcloned into the URA3-derived integration plas- Saccharomyces servazzii Y-12661 0 NRRL mid pRS406 (12) to create the test plasmid pSZ107. Plasmids Saccharomyces castellii Y-12630 0 NRRL identified from the minilibrary that carried the Ty5-6, Ty5-12, Saccharomyces paradoxus Y-17217 5-8 NRRL and Ty5-14 elements were directly modified by the addition of S. paradoxus Y-17218 1 NRRL the URA3 gene, resulting in test plasmids pSZ120, pSZ119, and S. paradoxus 2980 0 CBS pSZ121, respectively. Test plasmids were introduced into the S. paradoxus 7400 0 CBS ura3 S. cerevisiae strain YH51 by electroporation (9). Yeast S. paradoxus 6303 0 DBVPG cells were plated on synthetic medium without uracil, and S. paradoxus 6304 0 DBVPG Ural colonies were counted after 48 hr at 30°C. S. paradoxus 6489 3 DBVPG S. paradoxus 6490 3 DBVPG S. paradoxus 6492 3 DBVPG RESULTS Candida albicans YDV84 0 F. Spencer Distribution of the TyS Elements in S. cerevisiae. Eleven S. Candida utilis F608 0 J. Boeke cerevisiae strains were analyzed by Southern hybridization to Kluyveromyces lactis F645 0 J. Boeke determine TyS copy number. Although many of these strains Pichia rhodanensis F612 0 J. Boeke are designated as separate species, recent assessments of DNA Saccharomycopsis lipolytica F613 0 J. Boeke divergence indicate that all are likely to be isolates of S.