THE OCCURRENCE OF THE TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENT POGO IN DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER

We examined the genomic occurrence of the transposable element pogo in over 120 strains of Drosophila melanogaster, from around the world an d from different eras. All had multiple copies of a 2.1 kilobase (kb) pogo element, and multiple copies of several size classes between 1.0 and 1.8 kb. There were differences between strains in intensities or p resences of deletion-derivative size classes, suggesting current or re cent mobility in the species. We were unable to find any pogo-hybridiz ation in eight other species in the genus, in three, subgenera, or in the related Scaptomyza pallida. The pogo element may be a 'middle-aged ' element in the genome of D. melanogaster, having entered the species since its divergence from its sibling species, but long before the P and hobo elements.