Transposable Sequences in Citrus Genome: Role of Mobile Elements in the Adaptation to Stressful Environments

摘要

Mobile DNAs make up a large proportion of the nuclear plant genome. They can rearrange genomes and other individual gene structure and regulation through a number of activities, such as transposition, insertion, excision, chromosome breakage, and ectopic recombination. Tv-like retrotransposons, a widespread class of transposable elements in the plant kingdom, have been found in the Citrus genome. The aim of this review is to illustrate the evolutionary relationships of Ty-like elements in Citrus species, as well as the genomic organization of these sequences in Citrus genome and their transcriptional activity. Wounding, salt and cell cultured stress produce transcriptional activation of several Ty-like elements in C. limon. Therefore, transcriptional activation under stress conditions of transposon sequences opens the possibility that these mobile elements have given more genetic variability to Citrus plants, thus facilitating adaptation to a range of stressful habitats.