Heat shocks do not mobilize mobile elements in genomes of Drosophila melanogaster inbred lines.

Males of three inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster were heat-shocked 90 min at 37 degrees C. The progenies from treated and untreated males mated with untreated females of the same line were checked for their chromosomal insertion patterns of various mobile elements by either in situ hybridization or Southern blots. No modification in the pattern of insertion of the elements studied was observed after heat treatment. Hence, heating males of our inbred lines did not mobilize mobile elements, contrary to recent reports on other lines of Drosophila melanogaster.