Repetitive DNAs make up large proportions of many plant genomes and remarkably shape genome structure and species radiation. This talk will give a short overview about different types of repetitive DNAs of various sizes, occurring many thousand times or more in the genome. One major repeat class is satellite DNA often spanning large regions of centromeric and intercalary heterochromatin as well as subtelomeric regions. Transposable elements represent another large repeat class consisting of class I retrotransposons (including LTR/Gypsy and LTR/Copia retrotransposons, LINEs, SINEs etc.) and class II DNA transposons. Transposable elements influence genome structure, are involved in regulation of gene transcription and modulation of chromatin structure. Each repeat class has its own individual structural features, which makes it difficult to detect them. However, successful annotation of repeats is a basic requirement for their integration into reference genome sequences. Therefore, bioinformatic approaches are described how to identify and characterize repeats.

Host: Dr. Daniela Holtgräwe