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I factors inDrosophila melanogaster: Transposition under control

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Abstract

I factors are responsible for the I-R system of hybrid dysgenesis inDrosophila melanogaster. They belong to the LINE class of mobile elements, which transpose via reverse transcription of a full-length RNA intermediate. I factors are active members of the I element family, which also contains defective I elements that are immobilized within peri-centromeric heterochromatin and represent very old components of the genome. Active I factors have recently invaded natural populations ofDrosophila melanogaster, giving rise to inducer strains. Reactive strains, devoid of active I factors, derive from old laboratory stocks established before the invasion. Transposition of I factors is activated at very high frequencies in the germline of hybrid females issued from crosses between females from reactive strains and males from inducer strains. It results in the production of high rates of mutations and chromosomal rearrangements as well as in a particular syndrome of sterility. The frequency of transposition of I factors is dependent on the amount of full-length RNA that is synthesized from an internal promoter. This full-length RNA serves both as an intermediate of transposition and presumably as a messenger for protein synthesis. Regulators of transposition apparently affect transcription initiation from the internal promoter. The data presented here lead to the proposal of a tentative model for transposition.

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  1. Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France

    Isabelle Busseau, Marie-Christine Chaboissier, Alain Pélisson & Alain Bucheton

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  1. Isabelle Busseau
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  2. Marie-Christine Chaboissier
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  3. Alain Pélisson
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  4. Alain Bucheton
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This paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor Philippe L'Héritier (1905–1994) who initiated early work on hybrid dysgenesis.

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Busseau, I., Chaboissier, MC., Pélisson, A. et al. I factors inDrosophila melanogaster: Transposition under control. Genetica 93, 101–116 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01435243

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