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Mammalian transposable elements and their impacts on genome evolution.

Roy N Platt1, Michael W Vandewege2, David A Ray2

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA. neal.platt@gmail.com.

Chromosome Research : an International Journal on the Molecular, Supramolecular and Evolutionary Aspects of Chromosome Biology
|February 3, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Transposable elements (TEs) make up a significant portion of mammal genomes. Mammalian genomes possess defense mechanisms to control TE activity, leading to an ongoing evolutionary arms race.

Keywords:
AdaptationDiseaseExaptationHorizontal transferMobile elementsRetrotransposonsTE defenseTransposons

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Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic sequences found in high copy numbers within mammalian genomes.
  • TEs significantly influence mammalian genome structure and evolution.
  • Understanding TE content and activity is crucial for comprehending genome dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize the current knowledge of transposable element content in mammalian genomes.
  • To identify common patterns and variations in TE distribution and activity across mammal species.
  • To explore the evolutionary interplay between TEs and host genome defense mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics analysis of diverse mammalian genomes.
  • Bioinformatic identification and quantification of different TE families (LINEs, SINEs, LTRs, DNA transposons).
  • Review of existing literature on TE activity, horizontal transfer, and exaptation events.

Main Results:

  • Mammalian genomes typically consist of 33% to 50% TE-derived sequences.
  • LINEs and SINEs are the dominant TE types, with limited accumulation of LTR retrotransposons and DNA transposons.
  • Most mammal genomes harbor at least one actively accumulating retrotransposon family.
  • Horizontal TE transfer is rare, but TE exaptation events are increasingly recognized.
  • The majority of TE insertions are neutral or deleterious, prompting host defense evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Mammalian genomes exhibit predictable patterns of TE content, dominated by retrotransposons.
  • Host genomes have evolved sophisticated epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional defense mechanisms against TEs.
  • A continuous evolutionary arms race exists between TEs and host defense systems, shaping genome evolution.