Non-random association of transposable elements with duplicated genomic blocks in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana is known to contain numerous open reading frames apparently encoding transposases. In order to test the hypothesis that transposable elements have played a role in segmental duplication in this species, we compared the distribution of transposable elements with that of genomic windows that shared gene families to a greater extent than expected by chance. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that duplication of these segments occurred after the monocot-dicot divergence and probably after the eurosid I-eurosid II divergence. Known transposable elements were found to occur in putatively duplicated segments to a far greater extent than expected on the basis of their genome-wide distribution, suggesting that transposition may have played a role in segmental duplication in this species.