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Characterization ofGandalf, a new inverted-repeat transposable element ofDrosophila koepferae

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Abstract

The cloning and characterization ofGandalf, a new DNA-transposing mobile element obtained from theDrosophila koepferae (repleta group) genome is described. A fragment ofGandalf was found in a middle repetitive clone that shows variable chromosomal localization. Restriction, Southern blot, PCR and sequencing analyses have shown that mostGandalf copies are about 1 kb long, are flanked by 12 by inverted terminal repeats and contain subterminal repetitive regions on both sides of the element. As with other elements of the DNA-transposing type (known as the ‘Ac family’), theGandalf element generates 8 by direct duplications at the insertion point. Coding region analysis has shown that the longer open reading frame found inGandalf copies could encode part of a protein. However, whether or not the 1 kb copies of the element are actually the active transposons remains to be elucidated.Gandalf shows a very low copy number inD. buzzatii, a sibling species ofD. koepferae. An attempt to induce interspecific hybrid dysgenesis in hybrids of these two species has been unsuccessful.

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  1. Ignacio Marín

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, 94305, Stanford, CA, USA

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  1. Departamento de Genética y Microbiologia, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Ignacio Marín & Antonio Fontdevila

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Communicated by D. J. Finnegan

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Marín, I., Fontdevila, A. Characterization ofGandalf, a new inverted-repeat transposable element ofDrosophila koepferae . Molec. Gen. Genet. 248, 423–433 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02191642

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