scholarly journals The distribution of transposable elements on X chromosomes from a natural population of Drosophila simulans

1995 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey V. Nuzhdin

SummaryThe distribution of 13 transposable element families along 15 X chromosomes from an African natural population of Drosophila simulans was determined by in situ hybridization to polytene chromosomes. The transposable elements cloned from Drosophila melanogaster all hybridized with Drosophila simulans chromosomes. The number of copies per family was 3·5 times lower in the latter species and correlated with the copy number per family in Drosophila melanogaster. With the exception of 297, the copy number per chromosome followed a Poisson distribution. Element frequencies per chromosome band were generally low. However, several sites of the distal region and the base of the X chromosome had high frequencies of occupation. Elements had higher abundance at the base of the chromosome compared to distal regions. Overall, the distribution of transposable elements in Drosophila simulans is similar to that found in Drosophila melanogaster. These data provide evidence for the operation of a force (or forces) opposing transpositional increase in copy number, and that this force is weaker at the bases of chromosomes, consistent with the idea that recombination between elements at non-homologous sites contains TE copy number. The reduction in copy number of all TE families in Drosophila simulans compared to Drosophila melanogaster can be explained by stronger selection against transposable element multiplication and/or lower rates of transposition in Drosophila simulans.

1989 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Charlesworth ◽  
Angela Lapid

SummaryData were collected on the distribution of ten families of transposable elements among fourteen X chromosomes isolated from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster, by means of in situ hybridization to polytene chromosomes. It was found that, with the exception of roo, the copy number per chromosome followed a Poisson distribution. There was no evidence for linkage disequilibrium, either within or between families. Some pairs of families of elements were correlated with respect to the identity of the sites that were occupied in the sample, although there was no evidence for a correlation with respect to the sites at which elements attained relatively high frequencies. Elements appeared to be distributed randomly along the distal part of the X chromosome. There was, however, a strong tendency for elements to accumulate at the base of the chromosome. Element frequencies per chromosome band were generally low, except at the base of the chromosome where bands in subdivisions 19E and 20A sometimes had high frequencies of occupation. These results are discussed in the light of models of the population dynamics of transposable elements. It is concluded that they provide strong evidence for the operation of a force or forces opposing transpositional increase in copy number. The accumulation of elements at the base of the chromosome is consistent with the idea that unequal exchange between elements at non-homologous sites is such a force, although other possibilities cannot be excluded at present. The data suggest that the rate of transposition per element per generation is of the order of 10−4, for the elements included in this study.


1994 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Biémont ◽  
F. Lemeunier ◽  
M. P. Garcia Guerreiro ◽  
J. F. Brookfield ◽  
C. Gautier ◽  
...  

SummaryThe insertion site polymorphism of the copia, mdg1, mdg3, gypsy, and P transposable elements was analysed by in situ hybridization to the polytene chromosomes in genomes of males from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster. Parameters of various theoretical models of the population biology of transposable elements were estimated from our data, and different hypotheses explaining TE copy number containment were tested. The copia, mdg1 and gypsy elements show evidence for a deficiency of insertions on the X chromosomes, a result consistent with selection against the mutational effects of insertions. On the contrary, mdg3 and P copy numbers fit a neutral model with a balance between regulated transposition and excisions. There is no strong evidence of a systematic accumulation of elements in the distal and proximal regions of the chromosomes where crossing over and ectopic exchanges are reduced. For all chromosome arms but 3L, however, the TE site density increases from the proximal to the distal parts of the chromosomes (the centromeric regions were excluded in this analysis) with sometimes a sharp decrease in density at the extreme tip, following in part the exchange coefficient. The way the copy number of TEs is contained in genomes depends thus on the element considered, and on various forces acting simultaneously, indicating that models of TE dynamics should include details of each element.


1992 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Charlesworth ◽  
Angela Lapid ◽  
Darlene Canada

SummaryData were collected on the distribution of nine families of transposable elements among second and third chromosomes isolated from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster, by means of in situ hybridization of element probes to polytene chromosomes. It was found that the copy numbers per chromosome in the distal sections of the chromosome arms followed a Poisson distribution. Elements appeared to be distributed randomly along the distal sections of the chromosome arms. There was no evidence for linkage disequilibrium in the distal sections of the chromosomes, but some significant disequilibrium was detected in proximal regions. There were many significant correlations between different element families with respect to the identity of the sites that were occupied in the sample. There were also significant correlations between families with respect to sites at which elements achieved relatively high frequencies. Element frequencies per chromosome band were generally low in the distal sections, but were higher proximally. These results are discussed in the light of models of the population dynamics of transposable elements. It is concluded that they provide strong evidence for the operation of a force or forces opposing transpositional increase in copy number. The data suggest that the rate of transposition perelement per generation is of the order of 10−4, for the elements included in this study.


1987 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Leigh Brown ◽  
Julie E. Moss

SummaryIn order to increase our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of transposable genetic elements we have studied the chromosal location of copies of 2 element families in 20 X chromosomes extracted from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster from Spain. The I element was localized at a total of 64 chromosomal sites and copia at 45 sites in this sample with a mean copy number of 3·2 and 2·3 elements/chromosome respectively. Both elements were highly variable in location, with no site reaching a higher frequency than 4/20 in either case. Comparisons with other data sets suggest that insertion frequencies can be used to detect population structuring.


Genetics ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-483
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A Montgomery ◽  
Charles H Langley

ABSTRACT Twenty X chromosomes isolated from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster were surveyed using in situ hybridization to determine the number and cytogenetic location of three families of transposable elements: copia, 412 and 297. We found no sites of insertions in high frequency; in fact, frequencies of specific sites for all three elements were so low that each insertion could be interpreted as being unique. This suggests that rates of transposition and deletion for these elements are very high. Our data also show a higher than expected rate of the co-occurrence of different elements at the same site on the same chromosome.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Signor

AbstractTransposable elements are mobile DNA sequences that are able to copy themselves within a host’s genome. Within insects they often make up a substantial proportion of the genome. While they are the subject of intense research, often times when copy number is estimated it is estimated only at the population level, or in a limited number of individuals within a population. However, an important aspect of transposable element spread is the variance between individuals in activity. Do transposable elements accumulate at different rates in different genetic backgrounds? Using two populations of Drosophila simulans from California and Africa I estimated transposable element copy number in individual genotypes. Some active transposable elements seem to be a property of the species, while others of the populations. I find that in addition to population level differences in transposable element load certain genotypes accumulate transposable elements at a much higher rate than others. Most likely active transposable elements are fairly rare, and were inherited only by specific genotypes that were used to create the inbred lines. Whether or not this reflects dynamics in natural populations, where transposable elements may accumulate in specific genotypes and maintain themselves in the population rather than being active at low levels population wide, is an open question.


1994 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Charlesworth ◽  
Philippe Jarne ◽  
Stavroula Assimacopoulos

SummaryThe total genomic copy numbers of ten families of transposable elements of Drosophila melanogaster in a set of ten isogenic lines derived from a natural population were estimated by slot-blotting. The numbers of euchromatic copies of members of each family were determined for each line by in situ hybridization of element probes to polytene chromosomes. Heterochromatic numbers were estimated by subtraction of the euchromatic counts from the total numbers. There was considerable variation between element families and lines in heterochromatic abundances, and the variance between lines for many elements was much greater for the heterochromatin than for the euchromatin. The data are consistent with the view that much of the β-heterochromatin consists of sequences derived from transposable elements. They are also consistent with the hypothesis that similar evolutionary forces control element abundances in both the euchromatin and heterochromatin, although amplification of inert sequences derived from transposable elements may be in part responsible for their accumulation in heterochromatin.


Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 144 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-204
Author(s):  
Christine Hoogland ◽  
Christian Biémont

Abstract Data of insertion site localization and site occupancy frequency of P, hobo, I, copia, mdg1, mdg3, 412, 297, and roo transposable elements (TEs) on the polytene chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster were extracted from the literature. We show that TE insertion site number per chromosomal division was significantly correlated with the amount of DNA. The insertion site number weighted by DNA content was not correlated with recombination rate for all TEs except hobo, for which a positive correlation was detected. No global tendency emerged in the relationship between TE site occupancy frequency, weighted by DNA content, and recombination rate; a strong negative correlation was, however, found for the 3L arm. A possible dominant deleterious effect of chromosomal rearrangements due to recombination between TE insertions is thus not the main factor explaining the dynamics of TEs, since this hypothesis implies a negative relationship between recombination rate and both TE insertion site number and site occupancy frequency. The alternative hypothesis of selection against deleterious effects of insertional mutations is discussed.


1994 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey V. Nuzhdin ◽  
Trudy F. C. Mackay

SummaryRates of transposition and excision of the Drosophila melanogaster retrotransposon elements mdg3, 297, Doc, roo and copia were estimated directly, by in situ hybridization analysis of their cytological insertion sites in 31 replicates of a highly inbred line that had accumulated spontaneous mutations for approximately 160generations. Estimated transposition rates of Doc, roo and copia were, respectively, 4·2 × 10−5, 3·1 × 10−3 and 1·3 − 10−3; no transpositions of 297 nor mdg3 were observed. Rates of transposition of copia varied significantly among sublines. Excisions were only observed for roo elements, at a rate of 9·0 × 10−6 per element per generation. Copy number averaged over these element families increased 5·9 %; therefore, in these lines the magnitude of the forces opposing transposable element multiplication were weaker than transposition rates.


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