Tirant is a new member of the gypsy family of retrotransposons in Drosophila melanogaster

In this paper, we propose a consensus sequence for a putative complete Tira nt retrotransposon. Several defective copies, as well as relevant sequences available in databases have been analyzed. The putative complete Tirant el ement is 8533 bp long, and presents all the structural features of a retrov iruslike transposable element of the gypsy family. It contains three ORFs ( open reading frames) that encode putative products resembling the retrovira l Gag, Pol, and Env proteins. Southern blot analyses show that complete and defective Tirant elements are widespread in Drosophila melanogaster. The d ifferent hybridization patterns observed in several natural populations of this species suggest that Tirant is an active element.