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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Embryo Microinjection for Transgenesis in Drosophila
Published on: June 7, 2024
The copia retrotransposon and horizontal transfer in Drosophila willistoni
P M Rubin1, E L S Loreto2, C M A Carareto3
1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
Abstract:
The 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.
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