DescriptionThree Retrovirus-like Element-Isoleucine (RTVL-I) sequences were characterized inserted in the haptoglobin gene cluster of primates (Maeda 1985; Maeda and Kim 1990). Two of these, RTVL-Ia and RTVL-Ic, are inserted in the first intron of the HPR gene and at the 3'-end of the haptoglobin-related (Hpr) gene, respectively. The third copy (RTVL-Ib) is inserted in the intergenic region between HPR and HPP genes within the chimpanzee three-gene cluster (HP-HPR-HPP). The haptoglobin gene cluster has been expanded and contracted during the evolution of primates, this evidence was associated with gene conversion events and mutations induced by retroviral and other sequence insertions (McEvoy and Maeda 1988). The genomic structure of RTVL-Ia is 9.22 Kb in size including LTRs of 509 and 514 nt, respectively. The internal region of this retrovirus displays a Primer Binding Site (PBS) complementary to a tRNAIle, three Open Reading Frames (ORFs) for gag-pro, pol, and int genes characteristic of retroviruses, several sequence frames that appear to be the remains of a putative corrupted ORF env interrupted by an Alu insertion, and also a Polypurine Tract (PPT) adjacent to the 3´LTR (Maeda and Kim 1990). Structure
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Llorens, C., Futami, R., Covelli, L., Dominguez-Escriba, L., Viu, J.M., Tamarit, D., Aguilar-Rodriguez, J. Vicente-Ripolles, M., Fuster, G., Bernet, G.P., Maumus, F., Munoz-Pomer, A., Sempere, J.M., LaTorre, A., Moya, A. (2011) The Gypsy Database (GyDB) of Mobile Genetic Elements: Release 2.0 Nucleic Acids Research (NARESE) 39 (suppl 1): D70-D74 doi: 10.1093/nar/gkq1061