Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41700089›Full record

ArticleNucleic acids research2026

Transposable elements as drivers of genome evolution in Drosophila virilis.

Alexander P Rezvykh, Dina A Kulikova, Elena S Zelentsova, Liudmila Protsenko, Alina V Bespalova, Iuliia O Guseva, Justin P Blumenstiel, Mikhail B Evgen'ev, Sergei Y Funikov

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nucleic acids research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Alexander P RezvykhEngelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia.
Dina A KulikovaKoltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia.ORCID 0000-0002-9265-310X
Elena S ZelentsovaEngelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia.
Liudmila ProtsenkoEngelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia.
Alina V BespalovaEngelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia.
Iuliia O GusevaMoscow Center for Advanced Studies, Kulakova Str. 20, 123592 Moscow, Russia.
Justin P BlumenstielDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66049, United States.
Mikhail B Evgen'evEngelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia.
Sergei Y FunikovEngelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia.ORCID 0000-0002-3336-6119

Funding

Russian Science Foundation 22-74-10050-P
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transposable elements (TEs) drive genomic innovation, but their dynamics in non-model species remain unclear. Here, we integrated multi-omics data to explore TE dynamics in Drosophila virilis, an important model for repetitive DNA research. By combining computational predictions with manual curation, we identified 100 TE families and delineated three temporal waves of TE mobilization: recent activity, speciation-associated, and ancient invasions. TEs in D. virilis dynamically colonise both euchromatin and heterochromatin, suggesting heterochromatin is not solely a repository for degenerate repeats. While most TEs are widespread across strains, some exhibit strain-specific expansions, indicating varied activity and silencing. We found substantial evidence for horizontal transfer of TEs among close relatives, demonstrating that the D. virilis species group functions effectively as a TE "ecosystem", allowing for recurrent invasion, loss, and re-invasion of TE lineages across the group. Epigenetic profiling revealed that H3K9me3 spreading from TEs represses adjacent genes in a distance-dependent manner, influenced by insertion length and genomic context, affecting developmental and metabolic genes. We also discovered the first spontaneous polymorphic inversion in D. virilis linked to retrotransposons. Our findings illuminate TEs as drivers of genomic innovation, influencing gene regulation and evolutionary trajectories, providing a framework for studying TE dynamics across animal species.

Indexed as

DNA Transposable ElementsDrosophilaEvolution, MolecularGenome, InsectAnimalsEpigenesis, GeneticEuchromatinGene Transfer, HorizontalHeterochromatinPhylogenyRetroelementsDNA Transposable ElementsEuchromatinHeterochromatinRetroelements

Identifiers

PMID41700089
PMCPMC12910113

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.