Sequence heterogeneity and phylogenetic relationships between thecopiaretrotransposon inDrosophilaspecies of therepletaandmelanogastergroups

Abstract

-Although the retrotransposon copia has been studied in the melanogaster group of Drosophila species, very little is known about copia dynamism and evolution in other groups. We analyzed the occurrence and heterogeneity of the copia 5'LTR-ULR partial sequence and their phylogenetic relationships in 24 species of the repleta group of Drosophila. PCR showed that copia occurs in 18 out of the 24 species evaluated. Sequencing was possible in only eight species. The sequences showed a low nucleotide diversity, which suggests selective constraints maintaining this regulatory region over evolutionary time. On the contrary, the low nucleotide divergence and the phylogenetic relationships between the D. willistoni / Zaprionus tuberculatus / melanogaster species subgroup suggest horizontal transfer. Sixteen transcription factor binding sites were identified in the LTR-ULR repleta and melanogaster consensus sequences. However, these motifs are not homologous, neither according to their position in the LTR-ULR sequences, nor according to their sequences. Taken together, the low motif homologies, the phylogenetic relationship and the great nucleotide divergence between the melanogaster and repleta copia sequences reinforce the hypothesis that there are two copia families. copia retrotransposon / nucleotide diversity / copia families

Helena and BS: two travellers between the genera Drosophila and Zaprionus

“…1990 ; Clark et al. 1994 ; Robertson and Zumpano 1997 ; Kordis and Gubensek 1998 ), but in the last two decades, the number of HTTs described in invertebrates, vertebrates and plants, and between species from different higher taxa or realms has increased considerably (e.g., Silva and Kidwell 2000 ; De Almeida and Carareto 2006 ; Diao et al. 2006 ; Ludwig et al.…”

Taxonomic and evolutionary analysis of Zaprionus indianus and its colonization of Palearctic and Neotropical regions

“…Some of the studies done have involved the analysis of sequences of transposable elements ( e.g. , mariner, Hosimary, gypsy, copia and micropia ) in species of the two groups (Maruyama and Hartl, 1991; Lawrence and Hart1, 1992; Brunet et al , 1994, 1999; Jordan and McDonald, 1998; Heredia et al , 2004; de Almeida and Carareto, 2006; Ludwig and Loreto, 2007; Ludwig et al , 2008; Vidal et al , 2009; de Setta et al , 2009, 2011; Deprá et al , 2010). These studies found similarities between the sequences of transposable elements from the subgenus Zaprionus and from certain species of the subgroup melanogaster that were greater than the similarities between species of the same species group.…”