Convergence and conflict among telomere-specialized transposons across 60 million years of Drosophilid evolution.

Drosophila telomere transposons have repeatedly lost, gained, and horizontally transferred genes over 60 million years, showing dynamic convergent evolution and conflict with hosts.

• Why it matters: Understanding the evolution of telomere-associated transposons reveals how they balance mutualistic and antagonistic roles, shedding light on genome stability and transposon-host interactions across species.
• What they did: Analyzing over 100 Drosophila genomes, the study identified 396 telomeric TE families, uncovering repeated gene loss, horizontal transfer, and convergent evolution in telomere specialization and transposon behavior.
• The result: These findings demonstrate that telomere transposons evolve through multiple mechanisms, enabling them to persist and adapt despite conflicts with host genomes, advancing knowledge of TE-host co-evolution.