Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Quantitative Comparison of cis-Regulatory Element (CRE) Activities in Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: December 19, 2011
On the evolution and population genetics of hybrid-dysgenesis-causing transposable elements in Drosophila
Abstract:
Much has been learned about transposable genetic elements in Drosophila, but questions still remain, especially concerning their evolutionary significance. Three such questions are considered here. Has the behaviour of transposable elements been most influenced by natural selection at the level of the organism, the population, or the elements themselves? How did the elements originate in the genome of the species? Why are laboratory stocks different from natural populations with respect to their transposable element composition? No final answers to these questions are yet available, but by focusing on the two families of hybrid dysgenesis-causing elements, the P and I factors, we can draw some tentative conclusions.
Related Concept Videos
Hybrid Zones
Position-effect Variegation
Overview of Transposition and Recombination
DNA-only Transposons
The donor site from where the transposon is excised is either degraded or...
The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes
Normal male Drosophila has a ratio of one X chromosome to two sets of autosomes. In contrast, normal female Drosophila...
Exon Recombination
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...

