tau, a repeated DNA sequence in yeast.

Abstract

A 371-base-pair (bp) repeated DNA element, tau, was found in S. cerevisiae. The ends of tau are composed of a 5-bp inverted repeat, similar in sequence to those reported for the Ty, sigma, copia and spleen necrosis virus elements. These inverted repeats are flanked by 5-bp direct repeats of a target sequence that occurs only once in an allele that lacks the tau element. This overall structure is characteristic of transposable elements. Like sigma, tau elements have been found (in botH orientations) closely associated with tRNA genes (409 and 198 bp from the 5'' end, respectively). One representative of tau was isolated in a concentric insertion of tau, delta and sigma.