L1Tc non-LTR retrotransposons from Trypanosoma cruzi contain a functional viral-like self-cleaving 2A sequence in frame with the active proteins they encode Rodríguez Heras, Sara Thomas, M.C. García Cañadas, Marta García Pérez, José Luis López López, Manuel Carlos A comparative analysis of 40 Trypanosoma cruzi L1Tc elements showed that the 2A self-cleaving sequence described in viruses is present in them. Of these elements, 72% maintain the canonical 2A motif (DxExNPGP). A high percentage has a conserved point mutation within the motif that has not been previously described. In vitro and in vivo expression of reporter polyproteins showed that the L1Tc2A sequence is functional. Mutations within certain L1Tc2A sequences affect the efficiency of the cleavage. The data indicate that the L1Tc2A sequence may be influencing the L1Tc enzymatic machinery determining the composition and level of the translated products. The residues located immediately upstream of the 2A consensus sequence increase the cleaving efficiency and appear to stabilize the relative amount of translated products. 2024-02-06T12:45:29Z 2024-02-06T12:45:29Z 2006 journal article Heras SR, Thomas MC, García-Canadas M, de Felipe P, García-Pérez JL, Ryan MD, López MC. L1Tc non-LTR retrotransposons from Trypanosoma cruzi contain a functional viral-like self-cleaving 2A sequence in frame with the active proteins they encode. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2006 Jun;63(12):1449-60. doi: 10.1007/s00018-006-6038-2. https://hdl.handle.net/10481/88462 10.1007/s00018-006-6038-2 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ embargoed access Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional Springer Nature