question: Where is base J found in the genome of Leishmania tarentolae?
answer: Base J (β-D-glucosyl-hydroxymethyluracil) replaces 1% of T in the Leishmania genome and is only found in telomeric repeats (99%) and in regions where transcription starts and stops. Base J is found predominantly in repetitive DNA and correlates with epigenetic silencing of telomeric variant surface glycoprotein genes in Trypanosoma brucei.