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The β heterochromatic sequences flanking the I elements are themselves defective transposable elements

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Abstract

Phylogenetic studies suggest that mobile element families are unstable components of the Drosophila genome. Two examples of immobilization of a transposable element family are presented here: as judged by their constant genomic organization among unrelated strains, the F and I element families have been respectively immobilized for a long time in D. simulans and in the reactive D. melanogaster strains (these are the laboratory strains which escaped the recent I invasion of D. melanogaster natural populations). All the elements of these defective families are located in the β heterochromatic portion of the genome. Moreover, most if not all of the β heterochromatic sequences into which the defective I elements are embedded are themselves non-mobile members of various nomadic families such as mdg 4, 297, 1731, F and Doc. These results are discussed with special emphasis on the possible nomadic origin of β heterochromatin components and on the mechanisms of evolutionary turnover of the transposable element families.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Génétique, Université Blaise Pascal, F-63177, Aubière Cédex, France

    Chantal Vaury & Alain Pelisson

  2. Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, F-91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Alain Bucheton

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  1. Chantal Vaury
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  2. Alain Bucheton
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  3. Alain Pelisson
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Vaury, C., Bucheton, A. & Pelisson, A. The β heterochromatic sequences flanking the I elements are themselves defective transposable elements. Chromosoma 98, 215–224 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00329686

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00329686

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