POLYMORPHISM OF VIRUS-LIKE PARTICLES OF R ETROTRANSPOSONS IN DROSOPHILA AND YEAST-CELLS

Data on the molecular arrangement of viruslike particles (VLPs) of yea st and Drosophila retrotransposons are presented. Two methods for iden tifying VLPs from specific retrotransposon families have been offered. The first method is based on VLPs fractionation by electrophoresis in agarose gel under strictly controlled conditions. VLPs of the Drosoph ila melanogaster retrotransposon families copia and gypsy and D. viril is retrotransposon Tv1 were identified by this method. The method base d on heterologous induction of retrotransposons in cells of the mutant spd strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to identify VLPs of y east retrotransposon Ty1 and D. melanogaster gypsy retrotransposon.