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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Transposition and Recombination02:13

Overview of Transposition and Recombination

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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...
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DNA-only Transposons02:57

DNA-only Transposons

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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...
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Transposons01:24

Transposons

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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...
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LTR Retrotransposons03:08

LTR Retrotransposons

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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...
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Non-LTR Retrotransposons03:18

Non-LTR Retrotransposons

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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...
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Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

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While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 14, 2026

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

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Do larger genomes contain more diverse transposable elements?

Tyler A Elliott1, T Ryan Gregory2

  • 1Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada. telliott@uoguelph.ca.

BMC Evolutionary Biology
|April 22, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Genome size variation is linked to transposable elements (TEs), but TE diversity does not consistently correlate with genome size across all eukaryotes. Complex relationships exist, particularly in land plants and for genomes under 500 Mbp.

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Determination of the Optimal Chromosomal Locations for a DNA Element in Escherichia coli Using a Novel Transposon-mediated Approach
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Analysis of LINE-1 Retrotransposition at the Single Nucleus Level
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Analysis of LINE-1 Retrotransposition at the Single Nucleus Level

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Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Eukaryotic genome size varies significantly, largely due to transposable elements (TEs).
  • TEs exhibit substantial structural and phylogenetic diversity, classified into superfamilies and families.
  • The relationship between TE diversity (not just abundance) and genome size remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between transposable element diversity at the superfamily level and genome size.
  • To analyze data from 257 species across animals, plants, fungi, and protists.
  • To determine if TE diversity correlates with genome size across different eukaryotic taxa.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of genomic data from 257 eukaryotic species.
  • Assessment of transposable element diversity at the superfamily level.
  • Statistical correlation analysis between TE diversity and genome size.

Main Results:

  • No significant overall correlation between TE diversity and genome size across all eukaryotes.
  • A positive correlation was observed for genomes smaller than 500 Mbp.
  • A negative correlation was found specifically among land plants; no relationships were identified in animals or vertebrates.

Conclusions:

  • Genome size expansion is primarily driven by TE accumulation, but TE diversity plateaus beyond approximately 500 Mbp.
  • Complex patterns suggest that TE diversity does not continuously increase with genome size.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms behind these observed correlations and variances.