On the origin of the P-element invasion in Drosophila simulans.

ABSTRACT: The horizontal transfer (HT) of the P-element is one of the best documented cases of the HT of a transposable element. The P-element invaded natural D. melanogaster populations between 1950 and 1980 following its HT from Drosophila willistoni, a species endemic to South and Central America. Subsequently, it spread in D. simulans populations between 2006 and 2014, following a HT from D. melanogaster. The geographic region where the spread into D. simulans occurred is unclear, as both involved species are cosmopolitan. The P-element differs between these two species by a single base substitution at site 2040, where D. melanogaster carries a 'G' and D. simulans carries an 'A'. It has been hypothesized that this base substitution was a necessary adaptation that enabled the spread of the P-elem

SUBMITTER: Wierzbicki F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11863927 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature