Fig. 7

Multiple termini may arise by self-insertion. a Helitron X (circle) inserts into an other (non-autonomous) Helitron Y. Striped sections indicate the inverted repeats. b Excision leading to a chaemeric Helitron: Nicking by the Helitron transposase starts at the 5’ terminus of Helitron Y, the DNA is unwound until the transposase encounters a 3’ terminus, which is in this case the terminus of Helitron X. This chaemeric Helitron, containing two 5’ termini from two Helitron copies, can then be inserted somewhere else in the genome