Studies on MITE amplification in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the de novo characterization of MITEs in the genome of Solanum lycopersicum

Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) have been found to reach high copy numbers in eukaryotic genomes. The underlying mechanisms of their transposition and the characterization of existing and novel MITEs are highly sought after. An IPCR-based system was developed to detect the copy number of the T7-neo MITE in the yeast genome. However, this system resulted in minimal detection of the MITE. Using bioinformatics programs MITE Digger and Mite Analysis Kit, MITE families were characterized in the genome of Solanum lycopersicum. Thirty-seven MITE families were classified and characteristic of DNA transposon superfamilies Tc1/mariner, CACTA, PIF/Harbinger, hAT and Transib. Divergence of the MITE families was calculated and of those least diverged, four showed evidence of transcription. Some were identified in the related genomes of Solanum pimpinellifolium, Solanum tuberosum, and Nicotiana tabacum. Overall, an experimental MITE amplification system and de novo characterization of MITEs contributes to understanding MITE amplification in eukaryotic genomes.M.Sc