Sequence-specific insertion of the Drosophila transposable genetic element 17.6

Abstract

As in the case of retrovirus proviruses, most of the Drosophila copia-like transposable elements so far examined are bounded by 5′TG…CA3′ and inserted into the chromosome without obvious site-specificity1–4. In the other copia-like elements, 297, HMS Beagle and 17.6 (refs 5–7), terminal dinucleotides (5′TG…CA3′) are completely absent and, instead, 5′(A)GT is present at least at one of the termini. One important feature of these three elements may be frequent insertion into ‘TATA’ boxes, since the three of four insertion sites so far examined were TATA boxes, two for H3 histone genes5,8 and one for a cuticle gene6. Because of the importance of this type of insertion, we extensively analysed site-specificity using 17.6 as a model. Our results, described here, suggest that insertion of 17.6 takes place in a site-specific fashion, using a target 5′ATAT corresponding to the major portion of the consensus TATA box9, TATAATAAT.