Transposable element analysis in OMICS data

Transposable Elements (TEs) have the ability to transpose, and have populated all known eukaryotic genomes to date. Nowadays, their role in many aspects of biology, from population diversity to gene regulatory networks is well recognized. OMICS technologies, thanks to their genome-wide scale, provide an unparalleled resource to understand TE biology. However, due to their repetitive nature, TE analysis is not routinely carried out. In this chapter, I will provide the basic theoretical framework that will allow researchers to gain a first understanding of TEs without the need of significant alteration to established analysis pipelines. Then, I will present an overview on how TE analyses have been carried out for different OMICS data, as well as advantages and disadvantages on these approaches. Collectively, this chapter will provide the necessary background to explore TE contribution, so prospective researchers continue to reveal the multifaceted role of TEs in healthy and disease biology.