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Mobile genetic elements in Drosophila melanogaster (recent experiments).
G P Georgiev1, N A Tchurikov, Y V Ilyin
1Department of Nucleic Acid Biosynthesis, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow.
Genome
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Mobile genetic elements in Drosophila melanogaster, including LINE elements like jockey and the novel Stalker element, undergo complex transposition events. These events lead to genome instability, mutations, and the discovery of new genes.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) play crucial roles in genome evolution and stability.
- Drosophila melanogaster serves as a model organism for studying MGE behavior and its consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent findings on the behavior of MGEs in Drosophila melanogaster.
- To characterize the transcription and transposition of specific MGEs, including jockey and Stalker.
- To investigate the genetic events associated with transposition bursts and their impact on genome stability.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of transcription of the jockey LINE element.
- Observation of transposition events in ctMR2 family strains.
- Characterization of the novel Stalker mobile element and its mobilization.
- Identification of genes using Stalker-induced mutations.
Main Results:
- The jockey element is a typical LINE element, efficiently transcribed by RNA polymerase II using an internal promoter.
- Transposition bursts involve element excision, reinsertion, and deletion formation, with some deletions being repairable.
- The Stalker element causes prolonged genome destabilization, generating numerous insertion mutations.
- Mobilized Stalker facilitated the discovery of novel genes, including an mdg4 modifier and yellow mutation enhancers.
Conclusions:
- Transposition bursts are complex genetic events with diverse outcomes, including genome destabilization.
- The Stalker element represents a novel system for inducing mutations and discovering new genes.
- Understanding MGE behavior in Drosophila provides insights into genome dynamics and evolution.