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Spoink, a LTR retrotransposon, invaded D. melanogaster populations in the 1990s.

ABSTRACT: During the last few centuries D. melanogaster populations were invaded by several transposable elements, the most recent of which was thought to be the P-element between 1950 and 1980. Here we describe a novel TE, which we named Spoink, that has invaded D. melanogaster. It is a 5216nt LTR retrotransposon of the Ty3/gypsy superfamily. Relying on strains sampled at different times during the last century we show that Spoink invaded worldwide D. melanogaster populations after the P-element between 1983 and 1993. This invasion was likely triggered by a horizontal transfer from the D. willistoni group, much as the P-element. Spoink is probably silenced by the piRNA pathway in natural populations and about 1/3 of the examined strains have an insertion into a canonical piRNA cluster such as 42AB. Given the degree of genetic investigation of D. melanogaster it is perhaps surprising that Spoink was able to invade unnoticed.

SUBMITTER: Pianezza R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10965091 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Spoink, a LTR retrotransposon, invaded D. melanogaster populations in the 1990s.

Pianezza Riccardo R Scarpa Almorò A Narayanan Prakash P Signor Sarah S Kofler Robert R

PLoS genetics 20240326 3

During the last few centuries D. melanogaster populations were invaded by several transposable elements, the most recent of which was thought to be the P-element between 1950 and 1980. Here we describe a novel TE, which we named Spoink, that has invaded D. melanogaster. It is a 5216nt LTR retrotransposon of the Ty3/gypsy superfamily. Relying on strains sampled at different times during the last century we show that Spoink invaded worldwide D. melanogaster populations after the P-element between ...[more]

PMID: 38530818

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