Jumping Gene Jeopardizers: The Effect of Host Factors on Ty1 Activity
Transposons are segments of DNA that are present in a chromosome that can copy/insert themselves into other parts of a genome. Ty1 is a transposon in the baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Gag is a capsid-forming protein encoded by Ty1, which is essential for Ty1 replication. While analyzing yeast host factors that influence Ty1 function, it was found that two mutant strains, each deleted in coding for components of the vesicle-forming protein Clathrin, cause Gag levels to increase. This increase may indicate that Ty1 activity is being affected by each of these deletions.