The impact of insertion bias into piRNA clusters on the invasion of transposable elements

In our current understanding of transposable element (TE) invasions, TEs move freely until they accidentally insert into a piRNA cluster, where they are silenced by the production of piRNA cognate to the TE. Under this model, one would expect that selection might favor TEs that avoid piRNA clusters. However, empirical observations show that some TEs, such as the P-element, insert into piRNA clusters preferentially. We were thus wondering if such a bias, by minimizing harm to the host, could facilitate the spread of TEs throughout a population.

We performed extensive forward simulations of TE invasions with different insertion biases into piRNA clusters to determine if there was ever a situation in which the insertion bias was beneficial to the TE. We found that insertion bias significantly altered the invasion dynamics of TEs, primarily by changing the number of TE copies in individuals before silencing. Insertion into a piRNA cluster reduced the deleterious effects of TEs to the host population, but we found that TEs avoiding piRNA clusters out-compete TEs with a bias toward cluster insertions. Insertion bias was only beneficial to the TE when there was negative selection against TEs and a lack of recombination.

Different TEs show different insertion biases into piRNA clusters suggesting they are an attribute of the TE not the host, yet scenarios in which this is beneficial for TE propagation are quite limited. This opens up an interesting area for future research into the dynamics of insertion bias during TE invasions.