The L1Tc non-LTR retrotransposon of Trypanosoma cruzi contains an internal RNA-pol II-dependent promoter that strongly activates gene transcription and generates unspliced transcripts Rodríguez Heras, Sara L1Tc is the best represented autonomous LINE of the Trypanosoma cruzi genome, throughout which several functional copies may exist. In this study, we show that the first 77 bp of L1Tc (Pr77) (also present in the T. cruzi non-autonomous retrotransposon NARTc, in the Trypanosoma brucei RIME/ingi elements, and in the T. cruzi, T. brucei and Leishmania major degenerate L1Tc/ingi-related elements [DIREs]) behave as a promoter element that activates gene transcription. The transcription rate promoted by Pr77 is 10–14-fold higher than that mediated by sequences located upstream from the T. cruzi tandemly repeated genes KMP11 and the GAPDH. The Pr77 promoter-derived mRNAs initiate at nucleotide þ1 of L1Tc, are unspliced and translated. L1Tc transcripts show a moderate half life and are RNA pol II dependent. The presence of an internal promoter at the 50 end of L1Tc favors the production of full-length L1Tc RNAs and reinforces the hypothesis that this mobile element may be naturally autonomous in its transposition. 2024-02-06T13:31:48Z 2024-02-06T13:31:48Z 2007 journal article Heras SR, López MC, Olivares M, Thomas MC. The L1Tc non-LTR retrotransposon of Trypanosoma cruzi contains an internal RNA-pol II-dependent promoter that strongly activates gene transcription and generates unspliced transcripts. Nucleic Acids Res. 2007;35(7):2199-214. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkl1137. Epub 2007 Mar 16. PMID: 17369274; PMCID: PMC1874656. https://hdl.handle.net/10481/88485 10.1093/nar/gkl1137 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ open access Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional Oxford Univ Press