Genomic distribution of P elements in Drosophila willistoni and a search for their relationship with chromosomal inversions

According to the recent-invasion hypothesis, Drosophila melanogaster may have acquired its P elements in a fairly recent process of horizontal transmission between species. Drosophila willistoni has been identified as the potential donor species in that transfer process. A most remarkable feature of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of heredity 1996-05, Vol.87 (3), p.191-198
Main Authors: Regner, L.P. (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre.), Pereira, M.S.O, Alonso, C.E.V, Abdelhay, E, Valente, V.L.S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cells
CHROMOSOME
Chromosome Inversion
Chromosome Mapping
CROMOSOMAS
DNA Transposable Elements
DROSOPHILA
Drosophila - genetics
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster - genetics
Drosophila willistoni
EVOLUCION
EVOLUTION
Female
GENE
GENES
Genetics
Insects
POLIMORFISMO
POLYMORPHISME
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Summary:According to the recent-invasion hypothesis, Drosophila melanogaster may have acquired its P elements in a fairly recent process of horizontal transmission between species. Drosophila willistoni has been identified as the potential donor species in that transfer process. A most remarkable feature of D. willistoni is its extensive chromosomal polymorphism due to inversions-the adaptiveness of which has been the subject of many classical studies on evolutionary genetics. In this article, we further extend the study of P elements in D. willistoni, focusing on the possible role they may play in the generation of chromosomal inversions. Our results may be summarized as follows. P-homologous sequences were detected in South American populations of D. willistoni. In two of them, a recently collected wild population and an old laboratory stock, the P insertion sites were located in the polytene chromosomes. Several hybridization sites were mapped in all major chromosome arms of the natural population, which was also chromosomally polymorphic; in the laboratory population, nearly devoid of inversions, hybridization sites were found to be confined to the chromocenter. In the wild population, 10 of the 24 P hybridized sites coincided with several inversions break points and an other five sites located themselves very close to those points. The results are discussed within the context of evolutionary hypotheses
ISSN:0022-1503
1465-7333
1471-8505
DOI:10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a022984