Structure and transcriptional impact of divergent repetitive elements inserted within Phanerochaete chrysosporium strain RP-78 genes

We describe the structure, organization, and transcriptional impact of repetitive elements within the lignin-degrading basidiomycete, Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Searches of the P. chrysosporium genome revealed five copies of pce1, a ∼1,750-nt non-autonomous, class II element. Alleles encoding a putative glucosyltransferase and a cytochrome P450 harbor pce insertions and produce incomplete transcripts. Class I elements included pcret1, an intact 8.14-kb gypsy-like retrotransposon inserted within a member of the multicopper oxidase gene family. Additionally, we describe a complex insertion of nested transposons within another putative cytochrome P450 gene. The disrupted allele lies within a cluster of >14 genes, all of which encode family 64 cytochrome P450s. Components of the insertion include a disjoint copia-like element, pcret3, the pol domain of a second retroelement, pcret2, and a duplication of an extended ORF of unknown function. As in the case of the pce elements, pcret1 and pcret2/3 insertions are confined to single alleles, transcripts of which are truncated. The corresponding wild-type alleles are apparently unaffected. In aggregate, P. chrysosporium harbors a complex array of repetitive elements, at least five of which directly influence expression of genes within families of structurally related sequences.