Identification of a new hobo element in the cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae (Lepidoptera)

A complete hobo ‐like element, called Mbhobo , was identified in the cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae . This element has a high sequence similarity to the HFL1 hobo element of Drosophila melanogaster . Amplification of Mbhobo termini indicated that transposition occurred into a 5′‐GTGGGTAC‐3′ target sequence that was duplicated upon insertion. This target site conforms to the consensus sequence established for the insertion sites of insect hAT elements. Mbhobo has a single 1935 bp long ORF with significant homology to the D. melanogaster HFL1 hobo transposase. FISH experiments evidenced Mbhobo clusters located in heterochromatic regions of Z and W sex chromosomes and in heterochromatic areas of chromosome pair 10.