Abstract: The present invention provides plant retroelements useful as molecular tools. In one embodiment, the present invention provides nucleic acids encoding gag, pol and/or env genes of plant retroelements. The elements can be used, among other uses, as building blocks of other constructs, tools to find other nucleic acid sequences and tools to transfer nucleic acid into cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides nucleic acids, as well as vectors, cells, and plants (including plant parts, seeds, and embryos) containing the nucleic acids. In particular, molecular tools are provided in the form of nucleic acids that encode reverse transcriptases. The invention also features methods for manipulating such nucleic acids. In addition, the invention features methods to introduce nucleic acids containing retroelements or retroelement sequences into cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides plant retroelements useful as molecular tools. In one embodiment, the present invention provides nucleic acids encoding gag, pol and/or env genes of plant retroelements. The elements can be used, among other uses, as building blocks of other constructs, tools to find other nucleic acid sequences and tools to transfer nucleic acid into cells.

Abstract: The invention provides a family of plant retroelements as well as nucleic acids, vectors, and polypeptides relating to those retroelements.

Abstract: The present invention provides plant retroelements useful as molecular tools. In one embodiment, the present invention provides nucleic acids encoding gag, pol and/or env genes of plant retroelements. The elements can be used, among other uses, as building blocks of other constructs, tools to find other nucleic acid sequences and tools to transfer nucleic acid into cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides plant retroelements useful as molecular tools. In one embodiment, the present invention provides nucleic acids encoding gag, pol and/or env genes of plant retroelements. The elements can be used, among other uses, as building blocks of other constructs, tools to find other nucleic acid sequences and tools to transfer nucleic acid into cells.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for altering the integration site specificity of retrotransposons and retroviruses by modifying the integrase protein (especially via engineering its coding sequence) to include a peptide portion which interacts specifically with a protein associated with a chromosome, e.g., a transcription factor, or which interacts with a particular nucleic acid sequence. Further disclosed is a peptide portion of the integrase of Ty5 which peptide portion directs integration of Ty5 or any other retrotransposon or retrovirus into whose integrase it is included into silent chromosome regions and mutant Ty5 integrase proteins for which the insertional specificity is destroyed.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides retrotransposons and retrotransposon derivatives and methods for their uses. Specifically, the present invention provides Ty5-6p and derivatives. Ty5-6p and its derivatives integrate preferentially in the genome of eukaryotes in silent chromatin and in regions like silent chromatin. Ty5-6p insertions can be used to regulate the life span of cells, to genetically mark cells, to deliver gene therapy and to identify genes involved in development and in senescence.