COM, a Heterochromatic Locus Governing the Control of Independent Endogenous Retroviruses From Drosophila melanogaster

Corresponding author: Chantal Vaury, Faculté de Médecine, BP38, 28 place Henri-Dunant, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand Cedex, France., chantal.vaury{at}inserm.u-clermont1.fr (E-mail)

Communicating editor: M. VEUILLE

ZAM and Idefix are two endogenous retroviruses whose expression is tightly controlled in Drosophila melanogaster. However, a line exists in which this control has been perturbed, resulting in a high mobilization rate for both retroviruses. This line is called the U (unstable) line as opposed to the other S (stable) lines. In the process of analyzing this control and tracing the genetic determinant involved, we found that ZAM and Idefix expression responded to two types of controls: one restricting their expression to specific somatic cells in the ovaries and the other silencing their expression in S lines but permitting it in U lines. While studying this second control in the U or S backgrounds, we found that the heterochromatic locus 20A2-3 on the X chromosome, previously implicated in the regulation of a third retroelement, gypsy, also controlled both ZAM and Idefix. We report here that genetic determinants necessary for endogenous retrovirus silencing occur at the 20A2-3 locus, which we call COM, for centre organisateur de mobilisation. We propose that if this point of control becomes mutated during the life of the fly, it may trigger processes reactivating dormant endogenous retroviruses and thus bring about sudden bursts of mobilization.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. A. Aravin, G. J. Hannon, and J. Brennecke The Piwi-piRNA Pathway Provides an Adaptive Defense in the Transposon Arms Race Science, November 2, 2007; 318(5851): 761 - 764. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Mevel-Ninio, A. Pelisson, J. Kinder, A. R. Campos, and A. Bucheton The flamenco Locus Controls the gypsy and ZAM Retroviruses and Is Required for Drosophila Oogenesis Genetics, April 1, 2007; 175(4): 1615 - 1624. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Pelisson, G. Payen-Groschene, C. Terzian, and A. Bucheton Restrictive flamenco Alleles Are Maintained in Drosophila melanogaster Population Cages, Despite the Absence of Their Endogenous gypsy Retroviral Targets Mol. Biol. Evol., February 1, 2007; 24(2): 498 - 504. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Lopez-Sanchez, J. C. Costas, and H. F. Naveira Paleogenomic Record of the Extinction of Human Endogenous Retrovirus ERV9 J. Virol., June 1, 2005; 79(11): 6997 - 7004. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Zhang and T. H. Eickbush Characterization of Active R2 Retrotransposition in the rDNA Locus of Drosophila simulans Genetics, May 1, 2005; 170(1): 195 - 205. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. I. Kalmykova, M. S. Klenov, and V. A. Gvozdev Argonaute protein PIWI controls mobilization of retrotransposons in the Drosophila male germline Nucleic Acids Res., April 7, 2005; 33(6): 2052 - 2059. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Meignin, B. Dastugue, and C. Vaury Intercellular communication between germ line and somatic line is utilized to control the transcription of ZAM, an endogenous retrovirus from Drosophila melanogaster Nucleic Acids Res., July 19, 2004; 32(13): 3799 - 3806. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Sarot, G. Payen-Groschene, A. Bucheton, and A. Pelisson Evidence for a piwi-Dependent RNA Silencing of the gypsy Endogenous Retrovirus by the Drosophila melanogaster flamenco Gene Genetics, March 1, 2004; 166(3): 1313 - 1321. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Meignin, J.-L. Bailly, F. Arnaud, B. Dastugue, and C. Vaury The 5' Untranslated Region and Gag product of Idefix, a Long Terminal Repeat-Retrotransposon from Drosophila melanogaster, Act Together To Initiate a Switch between Translated and Untranslated States of the Genomic mRNA Mol. Cell. Biol., November 15, 2003; 23(22): 8246 - 8254. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]