Ultraconserved elements in insect genomes: A highly conserved intronic sequence implicated in the control of homothroax mRNA slicing

Ultraconserved genomic regions between the insect species Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila pseudoobscura, as well as the more distantly related Anopheles gambiae, are identified. The sequences are significantly associated with genes encoding developmental regulators and transcription factors, but are less frequent and smaller in size than in vertebrates.