Table Of ContentPlant
Transposable
Elements
BASIC LIFE SCIENCES
Alexander Hollaender, Founding Editor
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Volume 47 PLANT TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENTS
Edited by Oliver Nelson
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Plant
Transposable
Elements
Edited by
Oliver Nelson
University of Wisconsin· Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Technical Editors
Claire M. Wilson and Cosette G. Saslaw
The Council for Research Planning in Biological Sciences, Inc.
Washington, D. C.
Plenum Press • New York and London
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
International Symposium on Plant Transposable Elements (1987: University of Wis·
consin·Madison)
Plant transposable elements I edited by Oliver Nelson.
I p. cm.-(Basic life sciences: v. 47)
"Proceedings of an International Symposium on Plant Transposable Elements,
held August 22-26, 1987, at the University of Wisconsin·Madison"-T.p. verso.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4684-5552-6 ISBN 978-1-4684-5550-2 (eBook)
DOl 10.1007/978-1-4684-5550-2
1. Plant molecular genetics-Congresses. 2. Insertion elements, DNA-Congress·
es. 3. Mutagens-Congresses. 4. Genetic regulation-Congresses. I. Nelson, Oliver.
II. Title. III. Series.
QK981.4.157 1987 88·21917
581.1/5-dc19 ClP
This book was copyedited and entirely retyped by the staff of the Council for
Research Planning in Biological Sciences, Inc., located on the premises of
Associated Universities, Inc., of which the Council is a guest.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of
the funding agencies, nor does mention of trade names or commerical products
constitute recommendation for use.
Proceedings of an International Symposium on Plant Transposable Elements,
held August 22-26, 1987, at the University of Wisconsin·Madison, Madison,
Wisconsin.
© 1988 Plenum Press, New York
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 15t edition 1988
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
233 Spring Street, New York, N.Y. 10013
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
DEDICATION
There are few instances in science in which the genesis of a field of
research is identified as closely with one person as is that of transposable
elements and Barbara McClintock. Our meeting was still another tribute to
her brilliant analyses of mosaic kernel phenotypes that arose initially in
the progeny of plants subjected to systematic genome disruption.
The last few years have witnessed continuous advances in our under
standing of the structure of these elements and their effects on gene func
tion as the techniques of molecular biology have been brought to bear, and
it is these recent advances that were highlighted here against a back
ground of the taxonomy and formal genetics of the transposable elements.
The Scientific Organizing Committee hoped in this manner to present a co
herent and integrated view of transposable elements that would open the
area to those not already intimately familiar with the subject, while
simultaneously permitting substantive interchanges among researchers in
the field.
The suggestion that we organize this symposium to explore advances
in our knowledge of plant transposable elements came from Alexander
Hollaender of the Council for Research Planning in Biological Sciences. He
participated in our initial planning as a member of the Scientific Organizing
Committee, but he was not to see those plans brought to fruition.
Alexander Hollaender died in December, 1986 after an illustrious career in
research and administration. Claire Wilson, his associate at the Council
for Research Planning, assisted in plans for this symposium and prepared,
with the help of Cosette Saslaw, the manuscripts presented here for publi
cation.
We have dedicated this symposium to Barbara McClintock, whose re
search opened new horizons in our knowledge of genome organization, and
to the memory of Alexander Hollaender.
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is a pleasure to acknowledge the generous support of the sponsors
whose grants made possible this symposium with participation of speakers
from the United States and abroad. The sponsoring organizations were
Agracetus, Agrigenetics, Argonne Universities Association Trust Fund,
Bethesda Research Laboratories, the U. S. Department of Energy, DuPont,
the International Society of Plant Molecular Biology, the Midwest Plant
Biotechnology Consortium, Monsanto, the National Institutes of Health, the
National Science Foundation, Pfizer-DeKalb , Pioneer Hi-Bred, the U. S.
Department of Agriculture, and the University of Wisconsin Graduate
School.
The Scientific Organizing Committee, which was responsible for the
program of the symposium, consisted of Benjamin Burr, Nina Fedoroff,
Michael Freeling, Oliver Nelson, Virginia Walbot, and Susan Wessler, to
gether with the initial participation of Alexander Hollaender. We appre
ciate the participation of the speakers, their thoughtful presentations, and
the timely arrival of their manuscripts.
I should also like to acknowledge the major editorial role played by
E. T. Bingham. Although he handled nearly one-half of the manuscripts in
an editorial capacity, he declined to take the editorial bow to which he was
clearly entitled.
Oliver Nelson
vii
CONTENTS
Positive and Negative Regulation of the Suppressor-Mutator
Element ..................................................... . 1
N. Fedoroff, P. Masson, J. Banks, and J. Kingsbury
'Germ Line and Somatic Mutator Activity: Are They Functionally
Related? .................................................... . 17
Donald S. Robertson, David W. Morris, Philip S. Stinard,
and Bradley A. Roth
The Mobile Element Systems in Maize 43
Peter A. Peterson
Genetic and Molecular Analysis of Transposable Elements in
Antirrhinum Majus ............................................ 69
Rosemary Carpenter, Andrew Hudson, Tim Robbins, Jorge Almeida,
Cathie Martin, and Enrico Coen
Recombinant Mutable Alleles of the Maize R Gene ................... 81
Jerry L. Kermicle
Studies on Transposable Element Ac of Zea Mays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 91
Peter Starlinger, Barbara Baker, George Coupland,
Reinhard Kunze, Jiirgen Laufs, Jeff Schell, and
Ursula Stochaj
Maize Transposable Elements: Structure, Function, and Regulation 101
E.S. Dennis, E.J. Finnegan, B.H. Taylor, T.A. Peterson,
A.R. Walker, and W.J. Peacock
Structure and Function of the Enl Spm Transposable Element
System of Zea Mays: Identification of the Suppressor
Componentor~............................................ 115
Alfons Gierl, Heinrich Cuypers, Stephanie Lutticke, Andy Pereira,
Zsuzsanna Schwarz-Sommer, Sudhansu Dash, Peter A. Peterson,
and Heinz Saedler
Regulation of Mutator Activities in Maize ............................ 121
Virginia Walbot, Anne Bagg Britt, Kenneth Luehrsen,
Margaret McLaughlin, and Christine Warren
ix
x CONTENTS
The Use of Mutator for Gene-Tagging: Cross-Referencing Between
Transposable Element Systems ................................. . 137
N. S. Shepherd, W. F. Sheridan, M. G. Mattes, and G. Deno
Advantages and Limitations of Using Spm as a Transposon Tag ...... . 149
Karen C. Cone, Robert J. Schmidt, Benjamin Burr, and
Frances A. Burr
Transposition of Ac in Tobacco ..................................... . 161
Barbara Baker;-George Coupland, Reinhard Hehl, Nina Fedoroff,
Horst Lorz, Peter Czernilofsky, Peter Starlinger, and
Jeff Schell
transposition and Retrotransposition in Plants ...................... . 175
Zsuzsanna Schwarz-Sommer and Heinz Saedler
The Maintenance of Transposable Elements in Natural Populations ..... 189
Brian Charlesworth
Deletions and Breaks Involving the Borders of the Ac Element
in the bz-m2(Ac) Allele of Maize ........... :-:-: ................ . 213
Hugo K. Dooner, Edward Ralston, and James English
Transposable Elements of Antirrhinum Majus ......................... . 227
Hans Sommer, Reinhard Hehl, Enno Krebbers, Ralf Piotrowiak,
Wolf-Ekkehard Lonning, and Heinz Saedler
The State of DNA Modification Within and Flanking
Maize Transposable Elements .................................. . 237
Jeffrey L. Bennetzen, Willis E. Brown, and Patricia S. Springer
Extrachromosomal Mu ................................................. 251
V. Sundaresan
Molecular Characterization of Suppressor-Mutator (Spm)-Induced
Mutations at the bronze-l Locus in Maize: The bz-ml3
Alleles ......................................................... 261
John W. Schiefelbein, Victor Raboy, Hwa-Yeong Kim, and
Oliver E. Nelson
Mutagenesis Using Robertson's Mutator Lines and Consequent
Insertions at the Adhl Gene in Maize .......................... 279
Michael Freeling
A New Mu Element from a Robertson's Mutator Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
KarenK. Oishi and Michael Freeling
Alterations in Gene Expression Mediated by DNA Insertions in the
waxy Gene of Maize ........................................... 293
Susan R. Wessler, George Baran, and Marguerite Varagona
Discovery of Ac Activity Among Progeny of Tissue Culture-Derived
Maize Plants .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
R.L. Phillips and V.M. Peschke
Activation of Silent Transposable Elements ........................... 317
Benjamin Burr and Frances A. Burr
CONTENTS xi
Activation of a Mutable Allele in Alfalfa Tissue Culture .............. 325
E. T. Bingham, R. W. Groose, and I.M. Ray
Structure and DNA Modification of Endogenous Mu Elements 339
Vicki Chandler, Luther E. Talbert, Laura Mann, and
Catherine Faber
Comparison of Methylation of the Male- and Female-Derived
wx-m9Ds-cy Allele in Endosperm and Sporophyte .............. 351
Drew Schwartz
Contents: Poster Abstracts 355
Poster Abstracts .................................................... 359
Participants, Chairmen, and Speakers ............................... 385
Index ............................................................... 391
POSITIVE AND NEGATPE REGULATION OF THE
SUPPRESSOR-MUTATOR ELEMENT
N. Fedoroff, P. Masson, J. Banks,
and J. Kingsbury
Carnegie Institution of Washington
Department of Embryology
Baltimore, Maryland 21210
INTRODUCTION
The Suppressor-mutator (Spm) element is one of the most extensively
studied maize transposable elements. It is the fully functional member of a
transposable element family containing many functionally altered and mutant
members. McClintock's genetic studies on the Spm family defined the
functional interrelationships both among elements of the family and between
the elements and genes with Spm insertion mutations (12-27). Rhoades
and Dempsey (35) independently identified mutations caused by the same
element family; these were subsequently studied by Peterson (30-34), who
named the element Enhancer (En).
Many elements of the Spm family have recently been cloned and ana
lyzed, as have several genes with Spm insertion mutations (1,8,10,28,29,
38,39,41). The Spm and En elements are very similar 8.3-kb elements:
the two that have been sequenced differ in length by four nucleotides,
and in sequence by an additional six nucleotides (11,28). None of the
differences appears to affect element function. Many mutant elements have
also been analyzed. The predominant class of mutant element comprises
transposition-defective, internally deleted Spm elements (dSpm). There
exist several additional types of Spm element designated Spm-weak
(Spm-~), inactive Spm (Spm-.!), and MOdlIier (Mod). -- ---
There are two types of mutant alleles with dSpm insertions in which
expression of the gene has come under the control of the inserted element.
These have been designated Spm-suppressible and Spm-dependent (11).
In an Spm-suppressible allele, the gene with the dSpm insertion continues
to be expressed in the absence, but not in the presence, of a trans-acting
Spm. By contrast, an Spm-dependent allele is expressed only in the pres
ence of a functional Spm element elsewhere in the genome. We have inter
preted such interactions between genes and Spm elements as a reflection of
the element's regulatory system (11). --
