Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 14, 1232-1241, Copyright © 1997 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
WC Lathe 3rd and TH Eickbush
R2 elements are non-long-terminal-repeat (non-LTR) retrotransposons that
insert specifically in the 28S rRNA genes of many insects. Previous reports
concerning this element in the genus Drosophila have suggested that R2
elements are absent from many species of this genus, particularly those
species from the subgenus Drosophila. In this report, we present an
extensive study of the distribution and evolution of R2 elements in
Drosophila. A PCR survey of 59 species from 23 species groups of the two
major Drosophila subgenera found that R2 elements are present in all but
two species of the melanogaster species subgroup. Phylogenetic analysis
based on partial nucleotide sequences of R2 elements from 23 species
demonstrates that the relationships of R2 elements are congruent with those
of the Drosophila species phylogeny, suggesting that these elements have
been vertically inherited since the divergence of this genus some 60 MYA.
Sequence variation between different copies of R2 elements within each
species was less than 0.16%, indicating that these elements are undergoing
concerted evolution similar to that of the 28S genes. Several properties of
the R2 sequences suggest that these elements depend on retrotransposition
in addition to simple recombination to remain within the rDNA locus: the
rates of synonymous substitutions averaged 4.8 times the rate of
replacement substitutions, 82 of 83 R2 copies partially sequenced contained
intact open reading frames, and, finally, length variation associated with
the poly(A) 3' tails indicated that many R2 copies are the direct result of
retrotransposition.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
A single lineage of r2 retrotransposable elements is an active, evolutionarily stable component of the Drosophila rDNA locus
Department of Biology, University of Rochester.
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