Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Overview of Transposition and Recombination

Overview of Transposition and Recombination

Transposons make up a significant part of genomes of various organisms. Therefore, it is believed that transposition played a major evolutionary role in speciation by changing genome sizes and modifying gene expression patterns. For example, in bacteria, transposition can lead to conferring antibiotic resistance. Movement of transposable elements within the genetic pool of pathogenic bacteria can aid in transfer of antibiotic-resistant genetic elements. In eukaryotes, transposons can carry out...

DNA-only Transposons

DNA-only Transposons

DNA-only transposons are called autonomous transposons since they code for the enzyme transposase that is required for the transposition mechanism. Insertion of transposons can alter gene functions in multiple ways. They can mutate the gene, alter gene expression by introducing a novel promoter or insulator sequence, introduce new splice sites, and change the mRNA transcripts produced, or remodel chromatin structure.
The donor site from where the transposon is excised is either degraded or...

Non-LTR Retrotransposons

Non-LTR Retrotransposons

As the name suggests, non-LTR retrotransposons lack the long terminal repeats characteristic of the LTR retrotransposons. Additionally, both LTR and non-LTR retrotransposons use distinct mechanisms of mobilization. Non-LTR retrotransposons are further divided into two classes - Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) and short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs), both of which occur abundantly in most mammals, including humans. Some of the active non-LTR retrotransposons in humans are L1...

Exon Recombination

Exon Recombination

The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes.
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

Spontaneous mutations arise infrequently during DNA replication due to errors in the process. A key factor behind these errors is tautomeric shifts in nitrogenous bases, where bases transition from keto to enol forms or amino to imino forms. This shift can alter base-pairing rules, leading to mutations. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) arising from aerobic metabolism can damage DNA, resulting in depurination (loss of a purine base) or depyrimidination (loss of a pyrimidine base).

Transposons

Transposons

Transposons, or "jumping genes," are small mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that range from 700 to 40,000 base pairs in length. They are found in all organisms and can move within the same chromosome or transfer to different chromosomes. In some cases, transposons can also jump between different host DNA molecules, such as plasmids or viruses, contributing to genetic variability.Barbara McClintock first discovered these mobile genetic elements in the 1940s while studying maize genetics, and she...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Mean Arterial Pressure and Mortality in Infarction-Related Cardiogenic Shock With and Without Cardiac Arrest: A Meta-Analysis.

Journal of cardiac failure·2026

Same author

Savolitinib plus osimertinib in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer with MET overexpression and/or amplification following disease progression on osimertinib: primary results from the phase II SAVANNAH study.

Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology·2025

Same author

New ADCs bring new questions in EGFR NSCLC and beyond.

Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology·2024

Same author

The Critical Care Society of Southern Africa Consensus Statement on ICU Triage and Rationing (ConICTri).

The Southern African journal of critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Society·2023

Same author

The Critical Care Society of Southern Africa Consensus Guideline on ICU Triage and Rationing (ConICTri).

The Southern African journal of critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Society·2023

Same author

The role of laboratory testing in hospitalised and critically ill COVID-19-positive patients.

The Southern African journal of critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Society·2023

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 19, 2026

FISH for Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis

FISH for Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis

Published on: February 23, 2011

Jumping translocations in spontaneous abortions.

B Levy¹, T M Dunn, K Hirschhorn

¹Department of Human Genetics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. Brynn.Levy@mssm.edu

Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics

|April 25, 2000

Summary

Jumping translocations (JTs), rare chromosome rearrangements, were identified in spontaneous abortions. These unstable JTs likely caused fetal loss due to resulting chromosomal imbalance.

More Related Videos

Primordial Germ Cell Transplantation for CRISPR/Cas9-based Leapfrogging in Xenopus

Primordial Germ Cell Transplantation for CRISPR/Cas9-based Leapfrogging in Xenopus

Published on: February 1, 2018

Removal of an Internal Translational Start Site from mRNA While Retaining Expression of the Full-Length Protein

Removal of an Internal Translational Start Site from mRNA While Retaining Expression of the Full-Length Protein

Published on: March 16, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 19, 2026

FISH for Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis

FISH for Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis

Published on: February 23, 2011

Primordial Germ Cell Transplantation for CRISPR/Cas9-based Leapfrogging in Xenopus

Primordial Germ Cell Transplantation for CRISPR/Cas9-based Leapfrogging in Xenopus

Published on: February 1, 2018

Removal of an Internal Translational Start Site from mRNA While Retaining Expression of the Full-Length Protein

Removal of an Internal Translational Start Site from mRNA While Retaining Expression of the Full-Length Protein

Published on: March 16, 2022

Area of Science:

Genetics
Cytogenetics
Reproductive Biology

Background:

Jumping translocations (JTs) involve one donor chromosome and multiple recipient chromosomes.
Acquired JTs are common in cancer; constitutional JTs are linked to syndromes like Down syndrome.
JTs have not been previously described in spontaneous abortions.

Purpose of the Study:

To report the first instances of jumping translocations (JTs) in spontaneous abortions.
To characterize the chromosomal breakpoints and instability regions in these JTs.
To explore the potential role of JTs in fetal loss.

Main Methods:

Analysis of chromosomal rearrangements in samples from spontaneous abortions.
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies to confirm breakpoint locations.
Karyotyping to identify specific translocations and chromosomal abnormalities.

Main Results:

Two cases of unstable chromosome rearrangements consistent with JTs were identified in spontaneous abortions.
The first case involved a chromosome 15 donor with multiple recipient chromosomes (1, 9, 15, 21) and centromeric/heterochromatic breakpoints.
The second case showed instability with a presumed de novo 8;21 translocation, resulting in deleted 8p, dicentric 8;21, and 8q isochromosome, with breakpoints in pericentromeric and satellite regions.

Conclusions:

Jumping translocations (JTs) can occur in spontaneous abortions and are associated with chromosomal instability.
The chromosomal imbalance resulting from these de novo JTs likely led to fetal loss.
JTs may be an unrecognized cause of recurrent or unexplained fetal loss, potentially through nondisjunction and rearrangement.