Distribution patterns of LTR retrotransposons in monocentric and holocentric chromosomes

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Authors	PANDA Klára
Year of publication	2025
Type	Conference abstract
MU Faculty or unit	Faculty of Science
Citation
Description	Transposable elements can constitute a significant fraction of eukaryotic genomes, with long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) being particularly prevalent in plants. In monocentric chromosomes (with localized centromere), recombination rates vary along chromosome, with suppression in pericentromeric and other heterochromatic regions. LTR-RTs may “hide” in these recombination cold regions. In contrast, holocentric chromosomes (lacking a single localized centromere) exhibit a more uniform chromatin structure without evident euchromatic or heterochromatic clusters. Therefore, recombination may be more or less homogeneously distributed along holocentric chromosomes, making it difficult for LTR-RTs to evade removal. We hypothesize that this uniform recombination facilitates a more even removal of LTR-RTs in holocentric chromosomes compared to monocentric chromosomes.
Related projects:	Causes and consequences of the recombination rate evolution in eukaryotic lineages differing in chromosome type Evoluční a Ekologické procesy pro Udržení Biodiverzity a ekologické Stability