title: General survey of hAT transposon superfamily with highlight on hobo element in Drosophila.
abstract: The hAT transposons, very abundant in all kingdoms, have a common evolutionary origin probably predating the plant-fungi-animal divergence. In this paper we present their general characteristics. Members of this superfamily belong to Class II transposable elements. hAT elements share transposase, short terminal inverted repeats and eight base-pairs duplication of genomic target. We focus on hAT elements in Drosophila, especially hobo. Its distribution, dynamics and impact on genome restructuring in laboratory strains as well as in natural populations are reported. Finally, the evolutionary history of hAT elements, their domestication and use as transgenic tools are discussed.
authors.affiliation: UMR 6187 CNRS, Institut de Physiologie et Biologie Cellulaires, Université de Poitiers, 86022, Poitiers Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ladevèze
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chaminade
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lemeunier
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Periquet
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aulard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D049750:Genome, Insect
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements