Helitron Gene Captures in Triticum aestivum

Helitrons are a type of class II transposable element found in virtually all eukaryotic genomes. These elements have the ability to capture genes during their transposition and relocate them on a different region of the genome through a rolling-circle mechanism, potentially having adverse effects upon the genome, including the creation of chimera or novel host genes, deactivation of coding sites, and the up/down regulation of gene products. Our goal was to investigate Triticum aestivum (a hexaploid organism that has undergone evolutionary hybridization) genomic sequences to determine the capture, or lack thereof, of predicted full or partial coding genes by comparing the Helitron sequences from the IGV viewer to predicted genes and the ortholog diploid ancestors of the AK58 plant genome: Triticum urartu, Ageilops speltoides, and Ageilops tauschii. Helitron motifs were used to identify sequences that were then run against the BLAST and Ensembl Triticum aestivum database, and the results were used to determine whether the Helitron had successfully captured any portion of a gene. With the sequences we analyzed, we found a mix of coding gene, non-coding gene, and pseudogenes. Our Helitron research in Triticum aestivum is a novel and can potentially opening doors for a deeper understanding on the role of transposable elements in wheat genome evolution.