Computational Identification of 69 Retroposons in Arabidopsis

Retroposition is a shot-gun strategy of the genome to achieve evolutionary diversities by mixing and matching coding sequences with novel regulatory elements. We have identified 69 retroposons in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genome by a computational approach. Most of them were derivatives of mature mRNAs, and 20 genes contained relics of the reverse transcription process, such as truncations, deletions, and extra sequence additions. Of them, 22 are processed pseudogenes, and 52 genes are likely to be actively transcribed, especially in tissues from apical meristems (roots and flowers). Functional compositions of these retroposon parental genes imply that not the mRNA itself but its expression in gamete cells defines a suitable template for retroposition. The presence/absence patterns of retroposons can be used as cladistic markers for biogeographic research. Effects of human and the Mediterranean Pleistocene refugia in Arabidopsis biogeographic distributions were revealed based on two recent retroposons (At1g61410 and At5g52090). An evolutionary rate of new gene creation by retroposition was calculated as 0.6 genes per million years. Retroposons can also be used as molecular fossils of the parental gene expressions in ancient time. Extensions of 3' untranslated regions for those expressed parental genes are revealed as a possible trend of plant transcriptome evolution. In addition, we reported the first plant functional chimeric gene that adapts to intercompartmental transport by capturing two additional exons after retroposition.