Plant & Animal Genomes XV Conference Plant & Animal Genomes XV ConferenceJanuary 13-17, 2007
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA
A Connectron is a hypothetical relationship between four sequences in a genome. Two of the sequences are expressed as RNA when genes and non-coding elements are promoted and transcribe. The other two sequences are double-stranded DNA sequences separated by 0.5kb to about 3mb. The RNA is thought to form two triple-stranded Hoogsteen helices with the two double-stranded DNA sequences thus forming a loop. In eukaryotes the existence of the loop allows the DNA to condense into chromatin structure thus occluding the genes and non-coding elements in the loop from promotion and expression.
In prokaryotes and Archea, Connectrons now seem to work in a different manner since there are no chromatin particles. Instead of turning off a whole loop of genes (and non-coding elements), in the smaller genomes the Connectron turns off the genes directly under the Connectron. Since there can be genes in either direction of the DNA and since there are two strands of the loop, in principle, four genes could be turned off by one Connectron.
The workshop will review the general properties of Connectrons and the role of genes and non-coding elements as expression control agents in eukaryotic genomes. The main focus will be on the newly determined Connectron structure of small genomes and their plasmids. This workshop will present the first systematic approaches to the global behavior of expression control by Connectrons.