Thecopiaretrotransposon and horizontal transfer inDrosophila willistoni

Abstract

SummaryThe copia element is a retrotransposon that is hypothesized to have been horizontally transferred from Drosophila melanogaster to some populations of Drosophila willistoni in Florida. Here we have used PCR and Southern blots to screen for sequences similar to copia element in South American populations of D. willistoni, as well as in strains previously shown to be carriers of the element. We have not found the canonical copia element in any of these populations. Unlike the P element, which invaded the D. melanogaster genome from D. willistoni and quickly spread worldwide, the canonical copia element appears to have transferred in the opposite direction and has not spread. This may be explained by differences in the requirements for transposition and in the host control of transposition.

Evolutionary history of LTR-retrotransposons among 20 Drosophila species

“…Indeed, the sequenced strain of D. willistoni , Gd-H4-1, corresponds to a population from Guadeloupe Island (Caribbean) [7] that has not been tested in the work of [24]. A similar observation has been made in South American populations of D. willistoni in which no evidence of the HT of Copia was detected [27]. …”

Unveiling the complete invasion history ofD. melanogaster: three horizontal transfers of transposable elements in the last 30 years

“…A related question is whether the horizontal exchange between D. melanogaster and species of the willistoni group is unidirectional or if species of the willistoni group also recently received TEs from D. melanogaster . It was for example suggested that Copia was recently horizontally transferred from D. melanogaster to D. willistoni , although recent works did not confirm this [Jordan et al, 1999, Rubin et al, 2011].…”