I element distribution in mitotic heterochromatin of Drosophila melanogaster reactive strains: identification of a specific site which is correlated with the reactivity levels

The I factor is a Drosophila melanogaster LINElike element that efficiently transposes in the genetic system of I-R hybrid dysgenesis. It has been suggested that some of the I-related sequences located in the heterochromatin of D. melanogaster are involved in the regulation of I factor activity. In this work we have performed fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) mapping of I element sequences in mitotic heterochromatin of nine differentially reactive D. melanogaster strains. The results of our analysis showed that a single hybridization site mapping to region h28 of the distal heterochromatin of the X chromosome is present in three strains with low or intermediate levels of reactivity, while it is undetectable in six highly reactive strains. Together, these observations suggest a negative correlation between I sequences located at h28 and the level of reactivity. To this regard, it is intriguing that flamenco and COM, two loci that regulate the activity of D. melanogaster endogenous retroviruses also map to the distal heterochromatin of the X chromosome. Our data represent the first experimental evidence in favour of a silencing effect exerted by naturally occurring I element sequences located in pericentromeric heterochromatin.