title: Population dynamics of the copia, mdg1, mdg3, gypsy, and P transposable elements in a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: The insertion site polymorphism of the copia, mdg1, mdg3, gypsy, and P transposable elements was analysed by in situ hybridization to the polytene chromosomes in genomes of males from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster. Parameters of various theoretical models of the population biology of transposable elements were estimated from our data, and different hypotheses explaining TE copy number containment were tested. The copia, mdg1 and gypsy elements show evidence for a deficiency of insertions on the X chromosomes, a result consistent with selection against the mutational effects of insertions. On the contrary, mdg3 and P copy numbers fit a neutral model with a balance between regulated transposition and excisions. There is no strong evidence of a systematic accumulation of elements in the distal and proximal regions of the chromosomes where crossing over and ectopic exchanges are reduced. For all chromosome arms but 3L, however, the TE site density increases from the proximal to the distal parts of the chromosomes (the centromeric regions were excluded in this analysis) with sometimes a sharp decrease in density at the extreme tip, following in part the exchange coefficient. The way the copy number of TEs is contained in genomes depends thus on the element considered, and on various forces acting simultaneously, indicating that models of TE dynamics should include details of each element.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biométrie, Génétique, Biologie des populations, URA C.N.R.S. 243, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Biémont
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lemeunier
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Garcia Guerreiro
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Brookfield
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gautier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aulard
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Pasyukova
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002875:Chromosomes; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005828:Genetics, Population; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D014960:X Chromosome
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements