Extensive variation in virus-induced patterns of transposable element transcripts in Drosophila
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are widespread genomic parasites, whose activity is largely restrained by RNA interference pathways. Some of these pathways also contribute to antiviral immunity, allowing a mechanistic overlap that could generate interactions—or even trade-offs—between TE repression and viral defense. Here, we investigated this interplay by experimentally infecting two strains of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans with three distinct viruses: Drosophila X virus (DXV), Flock House virus (FHV), and Invertebrate Iridescent virus 6 (IIV6). Through deep RNA-seq and small RNA-seq analyses, we show that viral infection consistently alters TE transcript abundance, although the direction and magnitude of these changes strongly depend on both the host strain and the virus. In addition, we provide an in-depth characterization of the dynamic TE repertoire that IIV6 carries. IMPORTANCE Transposable elements (TEs) are genomic parasites that are found in all genomes. Here, using two strains of Drosophila and three viruses, we show that viral infections consistently affect TE transcript amounts. However, the magnitude and direction of the TE modulation depend on the host strain, the virus, and the tissue. In addition, one of the viruses under study, the Invertebrate Iridescent virus 6 (IIV6), carries TEs on its own, which we characterize as a dynamic repertoire.
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BibTeX
@article{mayeux2026extensive,
title = {{Extensive variation in virus-induced patterns of transposable element transcripts in Drosophila}},
author = {Camille A Mayeux and Chloé Garambois and Anaïs Larue and Julie Delescluse and Marie Fackeure and Vincent Lacroix and Hélène Henri and Natacha Kremer and Rita Rebollo and Séverine Chambeyron and Matthieu Boulesteix and Marie Fablet},
journal = {Journal of Virology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1128/jvi.01071-26},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05847890v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Extensive variation in virus-induced patterns of transposable element transcripts in Drosophila
AU - Camille A Mayeux
AU - Chloé Garambois
AU - Anaïs Larue
AU - Julie Delescluse
AU - Marie Fackeure
AU - Vincent Lacroix
AU - Hélène Henri
AU - Natacha Kremer
AU - Rita Rebollo
AU - Séverine Chambeyron
AU - Matthieu Boulesteix
AU - Marie Fablet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Journal of Virology
DO - 10.1128/jvi.01071-26
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05847890v1
AB - Transposable elements (TEs) are widespread genomic parasites, whose activity is largely restrained by RNA interference pathways. Some of these pathways also contribute to antiviral immunity, allowing a mechanistic overlap that could generate interactions—or even trade-offs—between TE repression and viral defense. Here, we investigated this interplay by experimentally infecting two strains of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans with three distinct viruses: Drosophila X virus (DXV), Flock House virus (FHV), and Invertebrate Iridescent virus 6 (IIV6). Through deep RNA-seq and small RNA-seq analyses, we show that viral infection consistently alters TE transcript abundance, although the direction and magnitude of these changes strongly depend on both the host strain and the virus. In addition, we provide an in-depth characterization of the dynamic TE repertoire that IIV6 carries. IMPORTANCE Transposable elements (TEs) are genomic parasites that are found in all genomes. Here, using two strains of Drosophila and three viruses, we show that viral infections consistently affect TE transcript amounts. However, the magnitude and direction of the TE modulation depend on the host strain, the virus, and the tissue. In addition, one of the viruses under study, the Invertebrate Iridescent virus 6 (IIV6), carries TEs on its own, which we characterize as a dynamic repertoire.
SN - 0022-538X
SN - 1098-5514
ER -