Characterization of two non-LTR retrotransposons from Sogatella furcifera and Nilaparvata lugens

Abstract

The fiWe have cloned two retrotransposons, one named SF-RT from Sogatella furcifera and another named NL-Rt from Nilaparvata lugens genome. Both SF-RT and NL-RT are members of the Daphne clade, and encode two open reading frames (ORFs) required for retrotransposition.We have gotten a methylated DNA fragments screened from S. furcifera genomes by methylation sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism, and displayed higher cytosine methylation level in macropterous female adults than in brachypterous female adults. The methylated DNA fragment locate in the first ORF from 21bp to 319bp in SF-RT. Semiquantitative PCR analysis indicated that the detected gene fragments of SF-RT had higher expression in brachypterous female adult than in macropterous female adult, it means that the DNA methylationcan decline the gene expression in SF-RT.

Keywords

• retrotransposons
• Sogatella furcifera
• Daphne
• DNA methylation