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Bacterial genetic methods to explore the biology of mariner transposons

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Abstract

Mariners are small DNA mediated transposons of eukaryotes that fortuitously function in bacteria. Using bacterial genetics, it is possible to study a variety of properties of mariners, including transpositional ability, dominant-negative regulation, overexpresson inhibition, and the function of cis-acting sequences like the inverted terminal repeats. In conjunction with biochemical techniques, the structure of the transposase can be elucidated and the activity of the elements can be improved for genetic tool use. Finally, it is possible to uncover functional transposase genes directly from genomes given a suitable bacterial genetic screen.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported grants from the National Science Foundation (0091044) and the United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Inspection Service to D. Lampe. I would like to acknowledge the technical support of Stacey Cehelsky, Austin Bowen, Molly Dando, and Amy Deschamps and many stimulating conversations over the years with Ian Boussy on transposon evolution.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15116, USA

    David J. Lampe

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Correspondence to David J. Lampe.

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Lampe, D.J. Bacterial genetic methods to explore the biology of mariner transposons. Genetica 138, 499–508 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-009-9401-z

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