Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

DNA-only Transposons02:57

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...
Transposons01:24

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...
Overview of Transposition and Recombination02:13

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...
LTR Retrotransposons03:08

LTR Retrotransposons

LTR retrotransposons are class I transposable elements with long terminal repeats flanking an internal coding region. These elements are less abundant in mammals compared to other class I transposable elements. About 8 percent of human genomic DNA comprises LTR retrotransposons. Some of the common examples of LTR retrotransposons are Ty elements in yeast and Copia elements in Drosophila.
The internal coding region of LTR retrotransposons and their mechanism of transposition closely resembles a...
Non-LTR Retrotransposons03:18

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...
piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs02:57

piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs

PIWI-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, are the most abundant short non-coding RNAs. More than 20,000 genes have been found in humans that code for piRNAs while only 2000 genes have been found for miRNAs. piRNAs can act at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and have a vital role in silencing transposable elements present in germ cells. They are also involved in epigenetic silencing and activation. Previously, they were thought to function only in germ cells but new evidence suggests...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Heritable variation drives rapid evolution of thermal performance curves in the protist Tetrahymena thermophila.

Communications biology·2026
Same author

Students Don't Learn the Way They Think They Do in a Large, Active-Learning Genetics Course.

CBE life sciences education·2025
Same author

<i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> translational machinery condones polyadenosine repeats.

eLife·2020
Same author

Boundaries of eliminated heterochromatin of Tetrahymena are positioned by the DNA-binding protein Ltl1.

Nucleic acids research·2019
Same author

Transgenerational Inheritance: Parental Guidance Suggested.

Current biology : CB·2018
Same author

Diversification of HP1-like Chromo Domain Proteins in Tetrahymena thermophila.

The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology·2017
Same journal

Somatic mobility of transposons is explosive and shaped by distinct integration biases in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Genome biology·2026
Same journal

UK Biobank whole-genome sequencing reveals robust contributions of rare variants to complex-trait heritability.

Genome biology·2026
Same journal

A one-week automated genome-wide optical pooled screen using OttoSeq.

Genome biology·2026
Same journal

Integrated lipidomic and transcriptomic profiling of the host response in human malaria.

Genome biology·2026
Same journal

Centromeric satellite expansion drives genome evolution in the snowy owl.

Genome biology·2026
Same journal

Mapping the landscape of allele-specific expression in porcine genomes.

Genome biology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Generation of Enterobacter sp. YSU Auxotrophs Using Transposon Mutagenesis
13:31

Generation of Enterobacter sp. YSU Auxotrophs Using Transposon Mutagenesis

Published on: October 31, 2014

Transposons that clean up after themselves.

Douglas L Chalker1

  • 1Biology Department, Washington University in St, Louis, One Brookings Drive, St, Louis, MO 63130, USA. dchalker@biology2.wustl.edu

Genome Biology
|July 11, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A mobile genetic element in the Oxytricha germline genome excises itself and other DNA sequences during somatic development. This transposon plays a role in genome rearrangement in ciliates.

More Related Videos

Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing
08:19

Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing

Published on: July 7, 2020

Real-Time Quantification of the Effects of IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB on Transposon Activity
04:04

Real-Time Quantification of the Effects of IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB on Transposon Activity

Published on: January 20, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Generation of Enterobacter sp. YSU Auxotrophs Using Transposon Mutagenesis
13:31

Generation of Enterobacter sp. YSU Auxotrophs Using Transposon Mutagenesis

Published on: October 31, 2014

Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing
08:19

Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing

Published on: July 7, 2020

Real-Time Quantification of the Effects of IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB on Transposon Activity
04:04

Real-Time Quantification of the Effects of IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB on Transposon Activity

Published on: January 20, 2023

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Ciliates like Oxytricha undergo extensive genome rearrangements during development.
  • Germline-limited DNA sequences are selectively eliminated from the somatic genome.
  • Transposons are mobile genetic elements that can alter genome structure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism by which a specific transposon in Oxytricha contributes to germline DNA elimination.
  • To understand the role of transposase in DNA removal during somatic differentiation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of the Oxytricha germline and somatic genomes.
  • Identification and characterization of the transposon and its associated transposase.
  • Experimental validation of transposon-mediated DNA excision.

Main Results:

  • A transposon in the Oxytricha germline genome encodes a transposase.
  • This transposase actively removes the transposon sequence from the developing somatic genome.
  • The transposase also facilitates the removal of other germline-limited DNA elements.

Conclusions:

  • The studied transposon is an active agent of genome rearrangement in Oxytricha.
  • Transposon-mediated DNA excision is a key mechanism for shaping the somatic genome in this ciliate.
  • This process highlights the dynamic nature of germline-soma differentiation in eukaryotes.