Ty1-copia retrotransposon-like elements in chickpea genome: their identification, distribution and use for diversity analysis

Ty1-copia retrotransposon-like elements were amplified from Cicer species u sing primers derived from the conserved region of the reverse transcriptase gene. Two fragments, of size similar to 280 bp and similar to 650 bp, were obtained, which on sequencing showed homology for the Ty1-copia reverse tr anscriptase region. Interestingly, the similar to 650 bp fragment showed tw o reverse transcriptase regions, one from Ty1-copia and the other from Tto1 element fused together. The copy number was high in the cultivated Cicer a rietinum genome compared with the wild Cicer reticulatum. Genetic diversity among the Cicer species was investigated using the conserved primers which grouped the wild species and the cultivated C. arietinum separately. (C) 2 000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.