A transposon-like element in human DNA

Mobile genetic elements have been reported in prokaryotes, plants, yeast and Drosophila (reviewed in refs 1, 2). The only transposonlike sequences reported for mammalian organisms are closely related to retroviruses 3–7 , although undoubtedly other transposon families exist within the mammalian genome. Although mobile genetic elements can only be identified as such if their mobility can be demonstrated in existing populations, transposon and transposon-like elements share several common biochemical and structural features 1,2 . Here we demonstrate that a repetitive human sequence has many of the diagnostic features of transposable elements. This 2.3-kilobase (kb) transposon-like element contains two flanking long terminal repeat (LTR)-like 350-base pair (bp) repetitive sequences, each of which begins with the sequence 5′ TG… and ends with …CA 3′. The transposon-like element is bounded by 5-bp direct repeats. Discrete-length polyadenylated transcripts from HeLa cells are homologous to the transposon-like element. Members of this transposon-like family are found in extrachromosomal circular DNA molecules.