Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

6.6K
Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
6.6K
In-vitro Mutagenesis01:16

In-vitro Mutagenesis

16.0K
To learn more about the function of a gene, researchers can observe what happens when the gene is inactivated or “knocked out,” by creating genetically engineered knockout animals. Knockout mice have been particularly useful as models for human diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.
16.0K
Homologous Recombination02:31

Homologous Recombination

62.2K
The basic reaction of homologous recombination (HR) involves two chromatids that contain DNA sequences sharing a significant stretch of identity. One of these sequences uses a strand from another as a template to synthesize DNA in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction. The final product is a novel amalgamation of the two substrates. To ensure an accurate recombination of sequences, HR is restricted to the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. At these stages, the DNA has been replicated already and the...
62.2K
Genetic Screens02:46

Genetic Screens

5.5K
Genetic screens are tools used to identify genes and mutations responsible for phenotypes of interest. Genetic screens help identify individuals or a group of people at risk of developing  genetic diseases and help them with early intervention, targeted therapy, and reproductive options.
Forward genetic screens
Forward or “classical” genetic screens involve creating random mutations in an organism’s DNA using radiation, mutagens, or insertion of additional bases, which...
5.5K
Recombinant DNA01:09

Recombinant DNA

101.5K
Overview
101.5K
LTR Retrotransposons03:08

LTR Retrotransposons

19.3K
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...
19.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Agnostic material classification using differential de Bruijn graphs of DNA imprints.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

The Origin of Life in the Light of Evolution.

ArXiv·2026
Same author

Overestimating zero-shot fitness prediction: Broad benchmarks mask local failures and practical limitations.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Integrating Transcription Factors with Electrochemical Pendulum Bioanalysis for Hormone Detection.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Single-Molecule Visualization of DNase I-Mediated DNA Cleavage by High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy.

ACS chemical biology·2026
Same author

Fieldable isothermal nucleic acid test for rapid semi-quantitative visual readout of enterococci in recreational waters.

PeerJ·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 6, 2026

In vivo Application of the REMOTE-control System for the Manipulation of Endogenous Gene Expression
08:54

In vivo Application of the REMOTE-control System for the Manipulation of Endogenous Gene Expression

Published on: March 29, 2019

7.5K

Retrons and their applications in genome engineering.

Anna J Simon1, Andrew D Ellington1, Ilya J Finkelstein1

  • 1Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.

Nucleic Acids Research
|October 11, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Retrons, bacterial elements using reverse transcriptases, are being explored for precision genome editing. Further research is needed to fully understand retron biology and advance these novel DNA editing platforms.

More Related Videos

Recombineering Homologous Recombination Constructs in Drosophila
14:23

Recombineering Homologous Recombination Constructs in Drosophila

Published on: July 13, 2013

19.7K
Subcloning Plus Insertion SPI - A Novel Recombineering Method for the Rapid Construction of Gene Targeting Vectors
09:02

Subcloning Plus Insertion SPI - A Novel Recombineering Method for the Rapid Construction of Gene Targeting Vectors

Published on: January 8, 2015

17.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 6, 2026

In vivo Application of the REMOTE-control System for the Manipulation of Endogenous Gene Expression
08:54

In vivo Application of the REMOTE-control System for the Manipulation of Endogenous Gene Expression

Published on: March 29, 2019

7.5K
Recombineering Homologous Recombination Constructs in Drosophila
14:23

Recombineering Homologous Recombination Constructs in Drosophila

Published on: July 13, 2013

19.7K
Subcloning Plus Insertion SPI - A Novel Recombineering Method for the Rapid Construction of Gene Targeting Vectors
09:02

Subcloning Plus Insertion SPI - A Novel Recombineering Method for the Rapid Construction of Gene Targeting Vectors

Published on: January 8, 2015

17.0K

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Bioengineering

Background:

  • Precision genome editing relies on natural biological machinery.
  • CRISPR and recombineering are established genome editing tools.
  • Retrons are bacterial retroelements with specialized reverse transcriptases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review retron biology and function in natural and synthetic contexts.
  • To highlight retron applications in genome editing and evolution.
  • To identify future research directions for retron-based editing platforms.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on retron biology.
  • Analysis of recent studies harnessing retrons for genome editing.
  • Discussion of retron mechanisms and genetic transmission.

Main Results:

  • Retrons produce noncoding DNA in situ using reverse transcriptases.
  • Retrons' natural functions and transmission remain largely unknown.
  • Recent studies demonstrate retron potential for genome editing and evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Retrons offer a novel approach to precision genome editing.
  • Understanding retron biology is crucial for developing advanced editing tools.
  • Further research is required to optimize retron-based genome engineering.