Skip to main content
PMC home page
Genetics logoLink to Genetics
. 1996 Jul;143(3):1339–1347. doi: 10.1093/genetics/143.3.1339

The Hobo Transposable Element Excises and Has Related Elements in Tephritid Species

A M Handler 1, S P Gomez 1
PMCID: PMC1207402  PMID: 8807305

Abstract

Function of the Drosophila melanogaster hobo transposon in tephritid species was tested in transient embryonic excision assays. Wild-type and mutant strains of Anastrepha suspensa, Bactrocera dorsalis, B. cucurbitae, Ceratitis capitata, and Toxotrypana curvicauda all supported hobo excision or deletion both in the presence and absence of co-injected hobo transposase, indicating a permissive state for hobo mobility and the existence of endogenous systems capable of mobilizing hobo. In several strains hobo helper reduced excision. Excision depended on hobo sequences in the indicator plasmid, though almost all excisions were imprecise and the mobilizing systems appear mechanistically different from hobo. hobo-related sequences were identified in all species except T. curvicauda. Parsimony analysis yielded a subgroup including the B. cucurbitae and C. capitata sequences along with hobo and Hermes, and a separate, more divergent subgroup including the A. suspensa and B. dorsalis sequences. All of the sequences exist as multiple genomic elements, and a deleted form of the B. cucurbitae element exists in B. dorsalis. The hobo-related sequences are probably members of the hAT transposon family with some evolving from distant ancestor elements, while others may have originated from more recent horizontal transfers.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.8 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Beverley S. M., Wilson A. C. Molecular evolution in Drosophila and the higher Diptera II. A time scale for fly evolution. J Mol Evol. 1984;21(1):1–13. doi: 10.1007/BF02100622. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Boussy I. A., Daniels S. B. hobo transposable elements in Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans. Genet Res. 1991 Aug;58(1):27–34. doi: 10.1017/s0016672300029578. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Calvi B. R., Hong T. J., Findley S. D., Gelbart W. M. Evidence for a common evolutionary origin of inverted repeat transposons in Drosophila and plants: hobo, Activator, and Tam3. Cell. 1991 Aug 9;66(3):465–471. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90010-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Capy P., Anxolabéhère D., Langin T. The strange phylogenies of transposable elements: are horizontal transfers the only explantation? Trends Genet. 1994 Jan;10(1):7–12. doi: 10.1016/0168-9525(94)90012-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Daniels S. B., Peterson K. R., Strausbaugh L. D., Kidwell M. G., Chovnick A. Evidence for horizontal transmission of the P transposable element between Drosophila species. Genetics. 1990 Feb;124(2):339–355. doi: 10.1093/genetics/124.2.339. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Devereux J., Haeberli P., Smithies O. A comprehensive set of sequence analysis programs for the VAX. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 Jan 11;12(1 Pt 1):387–395. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.1part1.387. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Feldmar S., Kunze R. The ORFa protein, the putative transposase of maize transposable element Ac, has a basic DNA binding domain. EMBO J. 1991 Dec;10(13):4003–4010. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb04975.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Handler A. M., Gomez S. P., O'Brochta D. A. A functional analysis of the P-element gene-transfer vector in insects. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 1993;22(3-4):373–384. doi: 10.1002/arch.940220306. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Handler A. M., Gomez S. P. The hobo transposable element has transposase-dependent and -independent excision activity in drosophilid species. Mol Gen Genet. 1995 May 20;247(4):399–408. doi: 10.1007/BF00293140. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Handler A. M., O'Brochta D. A. Prospects for gene transformation in insects. Annu Rev Entomol. 1991;36:159–183. doi: 10.1146/annurev.en.36.010191.001111. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ho Y. T., Weber S. M., Lim J. K. Interacting hobo transposons in an inbred strain and interaction regulation in hybrids of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 1993 Jul;134(3):895–908. doi: 10.1093/genetics/134.3.895. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kunze R., Stochaj U., Laufs J., Starlinger P. Transcription of transposable element Activator (Ac) of Zea mays L. EMBO J. 1987 Jun;6(6):1555–1563. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb02400.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Maruyama K., Hartl D. L. Evidence for interspecific transfer of the transposable element mariner between Drosophila and Zaprionus. J Mol Evol. 1991 Dec;33(6):514–524. doi: 10.1007/BF02102804. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. McGinnis W., Shermoen A. W., Beckendorf S. K. A transposable element inserted just 5' to a Drosophila glue protein gene alters gene expression and chromatin structure. Cell. 1983 Aug;34(1):75–84. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90137-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. O'Brochta D. A., Gomez S. P., Handler A. M. P element excision in Drosophila melanogaster and related drosophilids. Mol Gen Genet. 1991 Mar;225(3):387–394. doi: 10.1007/BF00261678. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. O'Brochta D. A., Warren W. D., Saville K. J., Atkinson P. W. Interplasmid transposition of Drosophila hobo elements in non-drosophilid insects. Mol Gen Genet. 1994 Jul 8;244(1):9–14. doi: 10.1007/BF00280181. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Pascual L., Periquet G. Distribution of hobo transposable elements in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Biol Evol. 1991 May;8(3):282–296. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a040649. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pridmore R. D. New and versatile cloning vectors with kanamycin-resistance marker. Gene. 1987;56(2-3):309–312. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(87)90149-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Robertson H. M., Lampe D. J. Recent horizontal transfer of a mariner transposable element among and between Diptera and Neuroptera. Mol Biol Evol. 1995 Sep;12(5):850–862. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a040262. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Robertson H. M. The mariner transposable element is widespread in insects. Nature. 1993 Mar 18;362(6417):241–245. doi: 10.1038/362241a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Rubin G. M., Spradling A. C. Genetic transformation of Drosophila with transposable element vectors. Science. 1982 Oct 22;218(4570):348–353. doi: 10.1126/science.6289436. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sheen F., Lim J. K., Simmons M. J. Genetic instability in Drosophila melanogaster mediated by hobo transposable elements. Genetics. 1993 Feb;133(2):315–334. doi: 10.1093/genetics/133.2.315. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Simmons G. M. Horizontal transfer of hobo transposable elements within the Drosophila melanogaster species complex: evidence from DNA sequencing. Mol Biol Evol. 1992 Nov;9(6):1050–1060. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a040774. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Streck R. D., Macgaffey J. E., Beckendorf S. K. The structure of hobo transposable elements and their insertion sites. EMBO J. 1986 Dec 20;5(13):3615–3623. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04690.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Volpini M., Gargano M., Cuccia C., Dei Cas L., Gei P., Metra M., Moretti R., Riva S. Effetti emodinamici della somministrazione endovenosa di captopril in pazienti affetti da scompenso cardiaco congestizio cronico. Cardiologia. 1989 Jun;34(6):517–523. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Warren W. D., Atkinson P. W., O'Brochta D. A. The Hermes transposable element from the house fly, Musca domestica, is a short inverted repeat-type element of the hobo, Ac, and Tam3 (hAT) element family. Genet Res. 1994 Oct;64(2):87–97. doi: 10.1017/s0016672300032699. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Yanisch-Perron C., Vieira J., Messing J. Improved M13 phage cloning vectors and host strains: nucleotide sequences of the M13mp18 and pUC19 vectors. Gene. 1985;33(1):103–119. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(85)90120-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Yannopoulos G., Stamatis N., Monastirioti M., Hatzopoulos P., Louis C. hobo is responsible for the induction of hybrid dysgenesis by strains of Drosophila melanogaster bearing the male recombination factor 23.5MRF. Cell. 1987 May 22;49(4):487–495. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90451-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Genetics are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES