GYPSY HOMOLOGOUS SEQUENCES IN DROSOPHILA-SUBOBSCURA (GYPSYDS)

Characterization of sequences homologous to the Drosophila melanogaster gypsy transposable element was carried out in Drosophila subobscura (gypsyDS). They were found to be widely distributed among natural populations of this species. From Southern blot and in situ analyses, these sequences appear to be mobile in this species. GypsyDS sequences are located in both euchromatic and heterochromatic regions. A complete gypsyDS sequence was isolated from a D. subobscura genomic library, and a 1.3-kb fragment which aligns with the ORF2 of the D. melanogaster gypsy element was sequenced. Comparisons of this sequence in three species (D. subobscura, D. melanogaster, and D. virilis) indicate that there is greater similarity between the D. subobscura-D. virilis sequences than between D. subobscura and D. melanogaster. Molecular divergence of gypsy sequences between D. virilis and D. subobscura is estimated at 16 MY, whereas the most likely divergence time of these two species is more than 60 MY. These data strongly suggest that gypsy sequences have been horizontally transferred between these species.