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Updated: May 25, 2026

Establishment of Viral Infection and Analysis of Host-Virus Interaction in Drosophila Melanogaster
Published on: March 14, 2019
tirant, a newly discovered active endogenous retrovirus in Drosophila simulans
Abdou Akkouche1, Rita Rebollo, Nelly Burlet
1Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Villeurbanne, France.
Abstract:
Endogenous retroviruses have the ability to become permanently integrated into the genomes of their host, and they are generally transmitted vertically from parent to progeny. With the exception of gypsy, few endogenous retroviruses have been identified in insects. In this study, we describe the tirant endogenous retrovirus in a subset of Drosophila simulans natural populations. By focusing on the envelope gene, we show that the entire retroviral cycle (transcription, translation, and retrotransposition) can be completed for tirant within one population of this species.
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