Genomic Analysis of Drosophila melanogaster Telomeres: Full-length Copies of HeT-A and TART Elements at Telomeres

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Abstract
The repetitive nature of heterochromatin hampers its analysis in general genome-sequencing projects. Specific studies are needed to extend the sequence into telomeric and centromeric heterochromatin. Drosophila telomeres lack the telomerase-generated repeats that are characteristic of other eukaryotic chromosomes. Instead, they consist of tandem arrays of HeT-A and TART elements. Herein, we present the genomic organization of the telomeres in the isogenic strain (y; cn bw sp) that was used for the Drosophila melanogaster sequencing project. The data indicate that the canonical features of telomere organization are widely conserved in evolution. In addition, we have identified full-length elements, likely competent elements, for HeT-A and TART.