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hobo-brothers elements and their time and place for horizontal transfer

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Abstract

Transposable elements (TEs) are ubiquitous components of nearly all genomes studied. These elements are highly variable in copy number, molecular structure and transposition strategies. They can move within and between genomes, thus increasing their copy numbers and avoiding being eliminated by stochastic and deterministic processes. hobo is a class II element isolated from Drosophila melanogaster. Previous phylogenetic analyses have shown that the canonical hobo element from D. melanogaster has a sister group formed by sequences found in D. willistoni (called howilli2) and D. mojavensis (called homo1). In the present study, we investigated 36 Drosophilidae species for sequences similar to howilli2 and homo1 using degenerate primers. Additionally, in silico searches were performed in 21 available Drosophila genomes. The obtained sequences formed a monophyletic sister group with the canonical hobo element; we termed these sequences ‘hobo-brothers’ elements. These elements showed a patch distribution and incongruities with the TE and host species phylogenies, suggesting possible cases of horizontal transfer (HT). Species that possess hobo-brothers sequences are from the New World, mainly Neotropical areas. In addition, the estimated divergence of the sequences found showed that these elements are or were recently active; the large number of HT events observed suggests that these elements could be experiencing an expansion process in Neotropical genomes. A comparison of these results with the literature is discussed with regard to the importance of the time and location of horizontal transposon transfer events.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Lizandra Robe and Gabriel Wallau for suggestions. This study was supported by research grants and fellowships from CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superio), CNPq-Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, PRONEX-FAPERGS (10/0028-7) and Fapergs (11/0938-0).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PPG Biodiversidade Animal, CCNE, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil

    Larissa Paim Bernardo & Elgion L. S. Loreto

  2. Biology Department, CCNE, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105 970, Brazil

    Elgion L. S. Loreto

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  1. Larissa Paim Bernardo
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  2. Elgion L. S. Loreto
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Correspondence to Elgion L. S. Loreto.

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Bernardo, L.P., Loreto, E.L.S. hobo-brothers elements and their time and place for horizontal transfer. Genetica 141, 471–478 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-013-9746-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-013-9746-1

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