Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Iskander Said, Michael P. McGurk, Andrew G. Clark, Daniel A. Barbash
Summary: Competition between transposable elements (TEs) may lead to the emergence of new variants, with hosts preferentially producing antisense piRNAs to silence these emerging variants.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Florian Schwarz, Filip Wierzbicki, Kirsten-Andre Senti, Robert Kofler
Summary: A study of Drosophila populations revealed the invasion of a fourth transposable element, Tirant, in addition to the previously known I-element, P-element, and hobo. Tirant likely spread in D. melanogaster populations around 1938 and did not induce hybrid dysgenesis symptoms. The presence of degraded Tirant sequences and distinctive piRNAs indicated an ancient invasion predating the split of D. melanogaster and D. simulans.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Peiwei Chen, Alexei A. Kotov, Baira K. Godneeva, Sergei S. Bazylev, Ludmila Olenina, Alexei A. Aravin
Summary: Small noncoding piRNAs guide repression of complementary targets in Metazoa. Previous studies in fruit fly ovaries have shown the function of the piRNA pathway in transposon silencing and genome defense. In fruit fly testes, piRNA programs exhibit sexual dimorphism and are used differently between sexes to combat sex-specific transposon landscapes.
GENES & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Robert Kofler, Viola Nolte, Christian Schlotterer
Summary: The dynamics of transposable element invasions are influenced by multiple factors, and the transposition rate is only one of them. By studying the temperature-dependent activity of the P-element, researchers found that despite differences in transposition rates, the copy numbers of the P-element were very similar at different temperatures. The decrease in insertion rate as the copy number approached a plateau was accompanied by the production of piRNAs. However, fewer P-element insertions were observed in piRNA clusters than expected, indicating that factors other than the trap model influenced the dynamics of TE invasions.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Ana T. Eugenio, Marta S. P. Marialva, Patricia Beldade
Summary: Transposable elements (TEs) are repetitive DNA sequences that can change position in host genomes, causing mutations. Wolbachia infection can affect TE activity, as shown by its association with changes in the abundance of piRNAs and transposition of specific TEs. Our study found that TE expression in Drosophila melanogaster varies depending on Wolbachia status, TE identity, and host genotype.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Ugo Cappucci, Assunta Maria Casale, Mirena Proietti, Fiorenzo Marinelli, Livio Giuliani, Lucia Piacentini
Summary: Exposure to artificial radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) has increased in recent years, leading to a growing interest in understanding their biological impact. This study investigated the non-thermal effects of low-level indoor RF-EMF exposure from WiFi wireless technologies on Drosophila melanogaster. The results showed that WiFi radiation caused chromatin decondensation and loss of epigenetic silencing in both germinal and neural tissues, as well as accumulation of reactive oxygen species, genomic instability, and behavioral abnormalities. Additionally, WiFi radiation synergized with Ras(V12) to promote tumor progression and invasion.
Article
Entomology
Alexandru Marian Bologa, Ileana Stoica, Nicoleta Denisa Constantin, Alexandru Al. Ecovoiu
Summary: This study mapped the DNA transposons of a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster from Romania, using bioinformatics tools. Multiple insertions affecting genes with potential adaptive roles were identified, including a focus on the P-element and transposons in heterochromatic regions. The research contributes to understanding the dynamics and roles of DNA transposons in the D. melanogaster genome.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Osama Brosh, Daniel K. Fabian, Rodrigo Cogni, Ignacio Tolosana, Jonathan P. Day, Francesca Olivieri, Manon Merckx, Nazli Akilli, Piotr Szkuta, Francis M. Jiggins
Summary: Researchers have identified a polymorphic transposable element insertion in fruit flies that greatly reduces viral titers and allows the flies to escape the harmful effects of infection. The insertion occurs in the protein-coding sequence of the gene Veneno and creates a gene encoding a novel resistance factor.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Giovanni Messina, Emanuele Celauro, Rene Massimiliano Marsano, Yuri Prozzillo, Patrizio Dimitri
Summary: Reporter genes inserted into the Drosophila genome have been used to monitor chromatin domains and it is commonly thought that these genes are silenced when inserted into heterochromatin. However, research has found that heterochromatin is genetically and molecularly heterogeneous and contains functional genes. This study provides evidence that even when integrated within or near actively transcribed loci in the pericentric regions of chromosome 2, reporter genes are strongly silenced. Some reporter genes were found to be insensitive to a known suppressor of position effect variegation (PEV), indicating different epigenetic regulators or mechanisms control different regions of heterochromatin.
Article
Biology
Joyce Rigal, Ane Martin Anduaga, Elena Bitman, Emma Rivellese, Sebastian Kadener, Michael T. Marr
Summary: This study demonstrates that active transposable elements can act as effectors in the aging process by accelerating aging phenotypes and shortening lifespan in fruit flies. Increased transposable element activity leads to increased sensitivity to oxidative stress and a decline in circadian rhythmicity. Overexpression of the FOXO stress response transcription factor can partially rescue the detrimental effects of increased transposable element activity on lifespan.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jyoti Lama, Satyam Srivastav, Sadia Tasnim, Donald Hubbard, Savana Hadjipanteli, Brittny R. Smith, Stuart J. Macdonald, Llewellyn Green, Erin S. Kelleher
Summary: This study reveals how host genotype modulates the cost of invading transposable elements (TEs) and the associated mechanisms, as well as the likelihood that genetic variants were beneficial during the TE invasion.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Maria Dolores De Donno, Antonietta Puricella, Simona D'Attis, Valeria Specchia, Maria Pia Bozzetti
Summary: Fragile X syndrome is a neuro-developmental disease that affects intellectual abilities and social interactions. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a reliable model to study the neuronal pathways associated with this syndrome. It has been found that the FMRP protein is crucial for the normal structure of neurons, correct synaptic differentiation, and synaptic connectivity during neuronal circuit development. This study demonstrates that FMRP is also required for transposon silencing in the brains of Drosophila mutants, suggesting a potential role of transposons in the pathogenesis of Fragile X syndrome and abnormal social behaviors.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Bogaerts-Marquez, Sara Guirao-Rico, Mathieu Gautier, Josefa Gonzalez
Summary: This study analyzed 36 whole-genome pool-seq samples of D. melanogaster natural populations collected in 20 European and 11 North American locations, and identified temperature, rainfall, and wind related variables as relevant for D. melanogaster environmental adaptation. The analysis also found SNPs and transposable elements associated with environmental variables.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eugenio Lopez-Cortegano, Rory J. Craig, Jobran Chebib, Eniolaye J. Balogun, Peter D. Keightley
Summary: Genetic variation arises from different types of spontaneous mutations, including single-nucleotide substitutions, indels, and structural changes. Structural mutations (SMs) are important in genome evolution and have roles in evolutionary adaptation, speciation, and genetic diseases like cancer. In this study, long-read sequencing was used to determine the full mutation spectrum in mutation accumulation (MA) lines of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The rate and spectrum of SMs were found to vary between strains, with a substantial proportion of mutations being SMs. Different strains also showed variation in the types of SMs, which were associated with the presence of active transposable elements (TEs). This study highlights the significant role of different types of SMs and TEs in evolution.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Olga Paulouskaya, Valeria Romero-Soriano, Claudia Ramirez-Lanzas, Tom A. R. Price, Andrea J. Betancourt
Summary: Transposable elements (TEs) are parasitic elements that can proliferate and invade host genomes. The P-element, a DNA-based TE, has recently invaded two Drosophila species. In Drosophila melanogaster, lines collected after the invasion have evolved a mechanism that suppresses hybrid dysgenesis through PIWI-interacting small RNAs (piRNAs). In this study, the researchers investigate Drosophila simulans collected early and late in the P-element invasion, finding that late-collected lines show resistance to hybrid dysgenesis and abundant P-element-derived piRNAs, while early-collected lines show variation in susceptibility to hybrid dysgenesis and do not exhibit high levels of maternal P-element piRNAs.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2023)