Precise excision and transposition of piggyBac in pink bollworm embryos

Transposable elements such as P, hobo, Hermes, mariner and Mines have been successfully harnessed as gene vectors to achieve the transformation of sev eral dipteran species including Drosophila melanogaster, Ceratitis capitata and Aedes aegypti, Plasmid-based excision and transposition assays have be en useful indicators of an element's ability to be mobilized in vivo and th us potentially serve as a transforming vector, We report that the transposa ble element piggyBac is capable of precise excision and transposition in th e pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella), a worldwide pest of cultivated cotton. Combined with a suitable marker gene, the piggyBac element may serv e as a vector for germline transformation in this and (potentially) other l epidopteran species.