The origin and evolution of six miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements in Bombyx mori and Rhodnius prolixus

Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) are a specific group of nonautonomous DNA transposons, and they are distributed in a wide range of hosts. However, the origin and evolutionary history of MITEs in eukaryotic genomes remain unclear. In this study, six MITEs were identified in the silkworm (Bombyx mori). Five elements are grouped into four known superfamilies of DNA transposons, and one represents a novel class of MITEs. Unexpectedly, six similar MITEs are also present in the triatomine bug (Rhodnius prolixus) that diverged from the common ancestor with the silkworm about 370 Ma. However, they show different lengths in two species, suggesting that they are different derivatives of progenitor transposons. Three direct progenitor transposons (Sola1, hobo/Ac/Tam [hAT], and Ginger2) are also identified in some other organisms, and several lines of evidence suggested that these autonomous elements might have been independently and horizontally transferred into their hosts. Furthermore, it is speculated that the twisted-wing parasites may be the candidate vectors for these horizontal transfers. The data presented in this study provide some new insights into the origin and evolutionary history of MITEs in the silkworm and triatomine bug.