Genetics, Vol. 163, 685-698, February 2003, Copyright © 2003

Alternative Transcription Initiation Sites and Polyadenylation Sites Are Recruited During Mu Suppression at the rf2a Locus of Maize

Xiangqin Cuia,b, An-Ping Hsiac, Feng Liua,b, Daniel A. Ashlockd, Roger P. Wisea,e,f,g, and Patrick S. Schnablea,b,c,g
a Interdepartmental Genetics Program, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service
b Department of Zoology and Genetics, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service
c Department of Agronomy, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service
d Department of Mathematics, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service
e Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service
f Department of Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
g Center for Plant Genomics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011

Corresponding author: Patrick S. Schnable, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011., schnable{at}iastate.edu (E-mail)

Communicating editor: J. A. BIRCHLER

Even in the absence of excisional loss of the associated Mu transposons, some Mu-induced mutant alleles of maize can lose their capacity to condition a mutant phenotype. Three of five Mu-derived rf2a alleles are susceptible to such Mu suppression. The suppressible rf2a-m9437 allele has a novel Mu transposon insertion (Mu10) in its 5' untranslated region (UTR). The suppressible rf2a-m9390 allele has a Mu1 insertion in its 5' UTR. During suppression, alternative transcription initiation sites flanking the Mu1 transposon yield functional transcripts. The suppressible rf2a-m8110 allele has an rcy/Mu7 insertion in its 3' UTR. Suppression of this allele occurs via a previously unreported mechanism; sequences in the terminal inverted repeats of rcy/Mu7 function as alternative polyadenylation sites such that the suppressed rf2a-m8110 allele yields functional rf2a transcripts. No significant differences were observed in the nucleotide compositions of these alternative polyadenylation sites as compared with 94 other polyadenylation sites from maize genes.




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