The RNA product of the Doc retrotransposon is localized on the Drosophila oocyte cytoskeleton

Abstract

The Doc retrotransposon of Drosophilamelanogaster encodes an RNA with two open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 encodes an RNA-binding protein and overlaps with ORF2, which encodes a reverse transcriptase. Retrotransposons transpose to new positions in the genome via a full-length RNA intermediate. Because they do not encode a coat protein, transposition is limited to single cell lineages. In this paper we present evidence that shows that the highest levels of Doc transcripts are found in the adult male and female germ-line. The Doc RNA is localized in the region of the cytoskeleton of the Drosophila oocyte. The biological significance of this is unknown, but we discuss some of the possibilities.