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Molecular evolutionary analyses of mariners and other transposable elements in fire ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Author(s) -
Krieger M. J. B.,
Ross K. G.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
insect molecular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.955
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2583
pISSN - 0962-1075
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2583.2003.00397.x
Subject(s) - biology , retrotransposon , subfamily , phylogenetic tree , hymenoptera , clade , transposable element , phylogenetics , long terminal repeat , evolutionary biology , genome , genetics , botany , gene
Screens of a library of genomic DNA made during a recent study of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta revealed the presence of three distinct types of transposable elements (TEs). Two of the recovered sequences showed a high similarity to long‐terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, while the third showed a high homology to mariner elements. To investigate the distribution and relationships of mariners in related ants, we PCR‐amplified these elements from additional Solenopsis species. Phylogenetic analyses showed that they form a single group within the mauritiana subfamily that is part of a larger clade derived from hymenopteran species. We also present partial sequence data for the two LTR‐retrotransposons and describe their phylogenetic affinities.