PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Cranz-Mileva, Susanne
AU  - Reilly, Eve
AU  - Chalhoub, Noor
AU  - Patel, Rohan
AU  - Atanassova, Tania
AU  - Cao, Weihuan
AU  - Ellison, Christopher
AU  - Zaratiegui, Mikel
TI  - Transposon Extermination Reveals Their Adaptive Fitness Contribution
AID  - 10.1101/2021.11.29.470382
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2021.11.29.470382
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/11/30/2021.11.29.470382.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/11/30/2021.11.29.470382.full
AB  - Transposable Elements are molecular parasites that persist in their host genome by generating new copies to outpace natural selection. Here we measure the parameters governing the copy number dynamics of the fission yeast Tf2 retrotransposons, using experimental and natural populations and a strain where all Tf2 copies are removed. Natural population genomes display active and persistent Tf2 colonies, but in the absence of selection mitotic recombination deletes Tf2 elements at rates that far exceed transposition. We show that Tf2 elements provide a fitness contribution to their host by dynamically rewiring the transcriptional response to metabolic stress. Therefore, Tf2 elements exhibit a mutualistic rather than parasitic behavior toward their host.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.