Insertions of P{lacW} and P{EP} artificial transposons on the chromosomal divisions of Drosophila melanogaster are not randomly distributed

Abstract

Herein we describe the distribution of P{lacW} and P{EP} artificial transposons in the genome of Drosophila melanogaster. A total number of 5,560 P{lacW} and 3,786 P{EP} insertions available on FlyBase were extracted from this database and ordered according to the chromosomal regions they hit. Comparative bioinformatics analysis revealed that the insertions patterns are similar for P{lacW} and P{EP}. The two patterns are significantly correlated for chromosomes X, 2L, 2R and 3L, but not for 3R.\n\nFourier analysis revealed a periodic behaviour in the distribution of insertions, which approximates insertional hotspots. Our results raise questions concerning if and how the local chromosomal landscape affects the insertion patterns of different but related transposons.