Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 3, 299-312, Copyright © 1986 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
EG Pasyukova, ES Belyaeva, GL Kogan, LZ Kaidanov and VA Gvozdev
In an inbred low-activity (LA) strain of Drosophila melanogaster with a low
level of fitness and a complex of inadaptive characters, in situ
hybridization reveals an invariant pattern of distribution of three
copia-like elements (mdg-1, mdg-3, and copia). Rare, spontaneous, multiple
transpositions of mobile elements in the LA strain were shown to be coupled
with a drastic increase of fitness. A changed pattern of various types of
mobile elements was also observed on selecting the LA strain for higher
fitness. High-fitness strains show transpositions of mobile elements to
definite chromosomal sites ("hot spots"). Concerted changes in the location
of three different mobile elements were found to be coupled with an
increase of fitness. The mdg-1 distribution patterns were also examined in
two low-fitness strains independently selected from the high-fitness ones.
Fitness decrease was accompanied by mdg-1 excision from the hot spots of
their location usually detected in the high-fitness strains. The results
suggest the existence of a system of adaptive transpositions of mobile
elements that takes part in fitness control.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Concerted transpositions of mobile genetic elements coupled with fitness changes in Drosophila melanogaster
Institute of Molecular Genetics, USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow.
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