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Updated: May 14, 2026

Real-Time Quantification of the Effects of IS200/IS605 Family-Associated TnpB on Transposon Activity
Published on: January 20, 2023
The human THAP9 gene encodes an active P-element DNA transposase
Sharmistha Majumdar1, Anita Singh, Donald C Rio
1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3204, USA.
Abstract:
The human genome contains ~50 genes that were derived from transposable elements or transposons, and many are now integral components of cellular gene expression programs. The human THAP9 gene is related to the Drosophila P-element transposase. Here, we show that human THAP9 can mobilize Drosophila P-elements in both Drosophila and human cells. Chimeric proteins formed between the Drosophila P-element transposase N-terminal THAP DNA binding domain and the C-terminal regions of human THAP9 can also mobilize Drosophila P elements. Our results indicate that human THAP9 is an active DNA transposase that, although "domesticated," still retains the catalytic activity to mobilize P transposable elements across species.
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