Transposable element (TE) display is a sensitive and efficient experimental method to detect TE insertions. It is a modified form of Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP), the difference being that one primer is designed according to a TE sequence in TE display. Here we report the development of TE display using a highly reiterated short interspersed repetitive element Feilai in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti. We have shown that Feilai display is highly specific and reproducible and we were able to recover and sequence multiple Feilai display bands to identify specific insertion sites. Relatively high levels of insertion polymorphism were observed between individuals collected from a few A. aegypti field populations. A random survey of 10 insertion sites revealed great genetic distance between two samples of A. aegypti in Thailand and southern Arizona (n >100 for both populations, Fst=0.19). In addition, we have developed a locus-specific PCR assay to use polymorphic Feilai insertions as co-dominant genetic markers that can be optimized for high-throughput analysis. Finally, Feilai display showed unexpectedly high insertion frequencies and fixations in field populations. These results directly challenge the notion of strong selection against TE insertions as indicated by low TE frequencies observed in Drosophila populations.
Species 1: Diptera Culicidae Aedes aegypti (Yellow fever mosquito)
Keywords: Transposable element
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