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Subtelomeres pp 211–225Cite as

Subtelomeres in Drosophila and Other Diptera

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Abstract

While Drosophila telomeres are considered unusual, because they lack short, telomerase-generated telomeric repeat, in other ways they are similar to telomeres found in most eukaryotes. Subtelomeric repeated DNA sequences, for example, exist between the terminal DNA array and the unique sequences found in the euchromatic chromosome arms. Subtelomeric sequences in Drosophila consist of complex repeat motifs that are shared among chromosome ends, although the arrangement of the motifs varies considerably. While these motifs diverge rapidly, similarities can still be found in sibling species. Surprisingly, the subtelomeres seem to be able to communicate with the rest of the genome; deletions of the 2L subtelomere suppress telomere position effect at other chromosome ends, and insertions of transposable elements into the XL subtelomere can silence homologous sequences in an RNAi-dependent manner. While Drosophila telomeres are maintained by targeted transposition of a small group of retrotransposons, telomeres in nematoceran flies seem to be maintained by gene conversion among telomeric sequences that in many ways resemble complex subtelomeric repeats.

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Acknowledgments

JMM was supported by the Intramural Research Program, US National Institutes of Health. AV was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (BFU2011-30295-C02-01) and an institutional grant from Fundación Ramón Areces to the CBMSO.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

    James M. Mason

  2. Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Alfredo Villasante

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  1. James M. Mason
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  2. Alfredo Villasante
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Correspondence to James M. Mason .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Edward J Louis

  2. Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Marion M Becker

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Mason, J.M., Villasante, A. (2014). Subtelomeres in Drosophila and Other Diptera. In: Louis, E., Becker, M. (eds) Subtelomeres. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41566-1_12

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