The occurrence of the transposable element pogo in Drosophila melanogaster.

We examined the genomic occurrence of the transposable element pogo in over 120 strains of Drosophila melanogaster, from around the world and from different eras. All had multiple copies of a 2.1 kilobase (kb) pogo element, and multiple copies of several size classes between 1.0 and 1.8 kb. There were differences between strains in intensities or presences of deletion-derivative size classes, suggesting current or recent mobility in the species. We were unable to find any pogo-hybridization in eight other species in the genus, in three subgenera, or in the related Scaptomyza pallida. The pogo element may be a 'middle-aged' element in the genome of D. melanogaster, having entered the species since its divergence from its sibling species, but long before the P and hobo elements.