LTR-retrotransposon transcripts are ubiqutiously expressed, polyadenylated and underwent splicing in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Pavel Merkulov, Murad Omarov, Ilya Kirov^1
1All-Russian Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology RAS, paulmerkulov97@gmail.com

LTR-retrotransposons are mobile genetic elements widespread in plant genomes. Dispite the fact of significant part of genome engaged by retrotransposons (up to 80 percent), their activity is suppressed by multiple posttranscriptional and epigenetic mechanisms in normal conditions. Retrotransposon escape from silencing and subsequent expression are, in turn, purely described for plants.