Cloning and analysis of the mobile element gypsy from D. virilis

The homologue of the Drosophila melanogaster mobile element gypsy was cloned from the distantly related species D. virilis. It has three ORFs highly homologous to those of the element from D. melanogaster. gypsy from D. virilis appears to be actively transcribed and is capable of transposition. Comparison of the untranslated regions of both elements revealed conserved sequences including those which had previously been demonstrated to be important in transcription regulation. Distribution of gypsy among the different strains of D. virilis and different species within the D. virilis group was analyzed. Possible involvement of horizontal transmission in the process of spreading and evolution of gypsy is discussed.