Hostile takeover insertions

Genomic insertion of the Hostile takeover (Mi{Hto}) transposon allows one to drive expression of proteins with an N-terminal mCherry tag in specific tissues under GAL4 control. This figure shows the structure of Mi{Hto}.

Figure of Hostile takeover construct originating in Singari et al. (2014), Inducible protein traps with dominant phenotypes for functional analysis of the Drosophila genome. Genetics 196: 91--105.

If Mi{Hto} inserts upstream of a gene, mCherry will be added to the N-terminus of the protein upon translation.

Figure depicting the consequences of upstream insertion of the Hostile takeover construct originating in Singari et al. (2014), Inducible protein traps with dominant phenotypes for functional analysis of the Drosophila genome. Genetics 196: 91--105.

If Mi{Hto} inserts in an intron, mCherry will be added to the N-terminus of a C-terminal protein fragment, which often acts in a dominant negative fashion.

Figure depicting the consequences of intragenic insertion of the Hostile takeover construct originating in Singari et al. (2014), Inducible protein traps with dominant phenotypes for functional analysis of the Drosophila genome. Genetics 196: 91--105.

Mi{Hto} and its use in a screen for novel insertions were described in Singari et al. (2014): Inducible protein traps with dominant phenotypes for functional analysis of the Drosophila genome. Genetics 196: 91–105.

The following stocks are useful as a source of Mi{Hto} transposon and transposase for generating new insertions.


The following stocks carry an earlier version of the Hostile takeover construct called Mi{Hto-WP} inserted in specific genes. (Mi{Hto-WP} lacks attP sites immediately inside the Minos inverted repeats, which allow in vivo manipulation of Mi{Hto} insertions by Recombinase-Mediated Cassette Exchange.)