The Transposition Rate Has Little Influence on the Plateauing Level of the P-element.

ABSTRACT: The popular trap model assumes that the invasions of transposable elements (TEs) in mammals and invertebrates are stopped by piRNAs that emerge after insertion of the TE into a piRNA cluster. It remains, however, still unclear which factors influence the dynamics of TE invasions. The activity of the TE (i.e., transposition rate) is one frequently discussed key factor. Here we take advantage of the temperature-dependent activity of the P-element, a widely studied eukaryotic TE, to test how TE activity affects the dynamics of a TE invasion. We monitored P-element invasion dynamics in experimental Drosophila simulans populations at hot and cold culture conditions. Despite marked differences in transposition rates, the P-element reached very similar copy numbers at both temperatures. The reduc

SUBMITTER: Kofler R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9254008 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature