Genomic sequences with homology to the P element of Drosophila melanogaster occur in the blowfly Lucilia cuprina

We have cloned two DNA elements (Lu-P1 and Lu-P2) from the Australian sheep blowfly Lucilia cuprina that are similar to the transposable P element of Drosophila melanogaster in both structure and sequence but have diverged from it and from each other considerably. Hybridization studies indicate that a third related element probably exists in another, as yet unsequenced, clone. Neither Lu-P1 nor Lu-P2 appears to be active in terms of mobility, and it is not known whether any transposition-competent copies of other related elements occur in the genome of the blowfly. However, the isolation of any P-like sequences from a species outside of the family Drosophilidae allows comparisons to be made of more widely divergent P-related elements than has been possible previously. We are unaware of any report of the presence of multiple P-like family members within a single species. The discovery of Lu-P1 and Lu-P2 in the blowfly fuels the possibility that similar elements may be widespread in insects, and perhaps in other orders of animals.