Mobility of P elements in drosophilids and nondrosophilids.
The mobility properties of the Drosophila melanogaster P element in drosophilid and nondrosophilid species has been determined using a P-element mobility assay that is conducted transiently in insect embryos. P elements are mobilizable in all drosophilids tested, including species outside the genus Drosophila but not in the related Tephritidae (order: Diptera), although the P-element gene necessary for mobility, transposase, is transcribed. These results show that without modifications P elements will not serve as general insect gene vectors and suggest that nonconserved host-encoded factors participate in the transposition of P elements. Our methods will be generally useful for analyzing the cis- and trans-acting factors required for P-element mobility in vivo and could be used to analyze the mobility properties of other transposable elements in insects.
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Insect Attractants, Behavior, and Basic Biology Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Gainesville, FL 32604.
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