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Related Concept Videos

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...
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...
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...
Retroviruses02:33

Retroviruses

Retroviruses and retrotransposons both insert copies of their genetic elements into the genome of the host cell. Thus, the viral genes are passed on when the host genome is replicated or translated. A typical retroviral DNA sequence contains 3-4 genes that encode the different proteins required for its structural assembly and function as a molecular parasite. This DNA is transcribed into a single mRNA, which is very similar in structure to conventional mRNAs, i.e., it is capped at the 5’...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Analysis of LINE-1 Retrotransposition at the Single Nucleus Level
11:52

Analysis of LINE-1 Retrotransposition at the Single Nucleus Level

Published on: April 23, 2016

Retrotransposons.

David J Finnegan1

  • 1Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JR, UK. David.finnegan@ed.ac.uk

Current Biology : CB
|June 9, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The discovery of reverse transcriptase in 1970 revealed that RNA can be copied into DNA, a process crucial for retroviruses and now known to be widespread in eukaryotic genomes.

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RNA Next-Generation Sequencing and a Bioinformatics Pipeline to Identify Expressed LINE-1s at the Locus-Specific Level
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RNA Next-Generation Sequencing and a Bioinformatics Pipeline to Identify Expressed LINE-1s at the Locus-Specific Level

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Detection of Retrotransposition Activity of Hot LINE-1s by Long-Distance Inverse PCR
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Detection of Retrotransposition Activity of Hot LINE-1s by Long-Distance Inverse PCR

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Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Analysis of LINE-1 Retrotransposition at the Single Nucleus Level
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RNA Next-Generation Sequencing and a Bioinformatics Pipeline to Identify Expressed LINE-1s at the Locus-Specific Level
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Detection of Retrotransposition Activity of Hot LINE-1s by Long-Distance Inverse PCR
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Detection of Retrotransposition Activity of Hot LINE-1s by Long-Distance Inverse PCR

Published on: July 27, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genomics
  • Virology

Background:

  • The central dogma of molecular biology initially proposed unidirectional information flow from DNA to RNA.
  • Retroviruses were known to cause tumors but their mechanism of infection was unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report the discovery of an enzyme capable of synthesizing DNA from an RNA template.
  • To understand the replication mechanism of RNA tumor viruses.

Main Methods:

  • Enzyme assays to detect RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity.
  • Isolation and characterization of RNA tumor viruses.

Main Results:

  • Discovery of reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that synthesizes DNA from RNA.
  • Renaming of RNA tumor viruses to retroviruses based on this discovery.
  • Demonstration of a mechanism for retroviral integration into host cell chromosomes.

Conclusions:

  • Reverse transcriptase activity is not limited to retroviruses.
  • This enzyme plays a significant role in eukaryotic genome evolution.
  • A large proportion of eukaryotic genomes may originate from reverse transcription.