Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 8, 2026
08:19
Quantitative Comparison of cis-Regulatory Element CRE Activities in Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: December 19, 2011
12.3K
Transposable elements generate regulatory novelty in a tissue-specific fashion
Marco Trizzino1,2, Aurélie Kapusta3,4, Christopher D Brown5,6
1Gene Expression and Regulation Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA. marco.trizzino83@gmail.com.
BMC Genomics
|June 20, 2018
Summary
Transposable elements (TEs) can influence gene regulation across human tissues. This study reveals TEs contribute to gene expression novelty, often in a tissue-specific manner, by interacting with active and repressed chromatin.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Epigenetics
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Transposable elements (TEs) are key drivers of evolutionary novelty in gene regulation.
- Mechanisms of TE contribution to gene expression remain largely uncharacterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the association of TEs with active and repressed chromatin across 24 human tissues.
- Characterize the role of TEs in tissue-specific gene regulation.
Main Methods:
- Leveraged Roadmap and GTEx data for chromatin analysis.
- Analyzed TE family enrichment in active and repressed genomic regions.
- Correlated TE presence with specific epigenetic marks (H3K9me3, H3K27me3).
Main Results:
- Identified 112 human TE families enriched in active genomic regions across tissues.
- Observed tissue-specific enrichment patterns for Long Terminal Repeat Retrotransposons (LTRs) and other TEs in repressed regions.
- Found young TEs enriched in repressed regions and depleted in active regions.
- Detected TEs enriched in tissue-specific enhancers containing master regulatory transcription factor binding sites, correlating with nearby gene expression.
Conclusions:
- Provided an integrated overview of TE contributions to human gene regulation.
- Demonstrated TEs can drive turnover of regulatory sequences in a tissue-specific manner.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:02Cis-regulatory Sequences
11.9K
Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
11.9K
02:02Cis-regulatory Sequences
4.2K
4.2K
01:27Elements and Compounds
105.1K
Pure substances consist of only one type of matter. A pure substance can be an element or a compound. An element consists of only one type of atom, while a compound consists of two or more types of atoms held together by a chemical bond.
Elements
Elements are classified as atomic or molecular based on the nature of their basic units. They are unique forms of matter with specific chemical and physical properties that cannot break down into smaller substances by ordinary chemical reactions. There...
Elements
Elements are classified as atomic or molecular based on the nature of their basic units. They are unique forms of matter with specific chemical and physical properties that cannot break down into smaller substances by ordinary chemical reactions. There...
105.1K
04:00Periodic Classification of the Elements
59.3K
The periodic table arranges atoms based on increasing atomic number so that elements with the same chemical properties recur periodically. When their electron configurations are added to the table, a periodic recurrence of similar electron configurations in the outer shells of these elements is observed. Because they are in the outer shells of an atom, valence electrons play the most important role in chemical reactions. The outer electrons have the highest energy of the electrons in an atom...
59.3K
02:35Key Elements for Plant Nutrition
24.4K
Like all living organisms, plants require organic and inorganic nutrients to survive, reproduce, grow and maintain homeostasis. To identify nutrients that are essential for plant functioning, researchers have leveraged a technique called hydroponics. In hydroponic culture systems, plants are grown—without soil—in water-based solutions containing nutrients. At least 17 nutrients have been identified as essential elements required by plants. Plants acquire these elements from the...
24.4K
02:31Elements: Chemical Symbols and Isotopes
126.6K
A chemical symbol is an abbreviation used to indicate an element or an atom of an element. For example, the symbol for mercury is Hg. The same symbol is used to indicate one atom of mercury (microscopic domain) or to label a container of many atoms of the element mercury (macroscopic domain).
Some symbols are derived from the common English name of the element; others are abbreviations of the name in another language — Latin, Greek or German. For example, the symbol for aluminum (common name)...
Some symbols are derived from the common English name of the element; others are abbreviations of the name in another language — Latin, Greek or German. For example, the symbol for aluminum (common name)...
126.6K