Molecular Analysis of Ac Transposition and DNA Replication

Molecular events associated with transposition of the mobile element Activator (Ac) from the P locus of maize have been examined in daughter lineages of twinned sectors. Genetic and molecular analyses indicate that the donor Ac has excised from only one of the two daughter chromosomes in these lineages. Cloning and sequence analyses of target sites on daughter chromosomes indicate that Ac insertion can occur either before or after the completion of DNA replication. Transpositions from a replicated donor site to both unreplicated and replicated target sites imply that most transpositions of Ac occur during or shortly after the S phase of the cell cycle.