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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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LTR Retrotransposons03:08

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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.
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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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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.
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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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Position-effect Variegation

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In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.
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Transposable elements in Drosophila.

Tabitha J McCullers1, Mindy Steiniger1

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO, USA.

Mobile Genetic Elements
|June 6, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic sequences. This review explores TE mobilization, regulation, and functions in Drosophila melanogaster, a key model organism for understanding genome dynamics.

Keywords:
LTR retrotransposonsP elementsTEsTIR transposonshelitronsnon-LTR retrotransposonsretrovirustransposons

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Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic sequences comprising over 40% of the human genome.
  • TEs are implicated in numerous human diseases, necessitating research into their mobilization and regulation.
  • Drosophila melanogaster serves as an excellent model organism for studying eukaryotic TEs due to its diverse active TE population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the transposition mechanisms of transposable elements.
  • To examine the regulatory pathways governing transposable elements.
  • To discuss the functional roles of transposable elements in Drosophila melanogaster.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on transposable elements.
  • Analysis of conserved regulatory mechanisms across eukaryotic organisms.
  • Focus on transposition and regulatory pathways in Drosophila melanogaster.

Main Results:

  • Transposable elements exhibit significant variability, classified into DNA transposons and retrotransposons.
  • TEs universally influence host genome size through transposition and deletion.
  • Conserved mechanisms for regulating TEs are utilized by Drosophila melanogaster and other eukaryotes.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding TE mechanisms and regulation is crucial due to their genomic impact and disease links.
  • Drosophila melanogaster provides valuable insights into eukaryotic TE biology.
  • TEs play diverse functional roles beyond genome size alteration.