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Mobile elements are DNA sequences that can move around the genome, changing their number of copies or simply changing their location, often affecting the activity of nearby genes. They include DNA transposable elements, plasmids and bacteriophage elements. The total of all mobile genetic elements in a genome may be referred to as the mobilome.
An insertion of an Alu element into an intron of the TBXT gene is identified as a genetic mechanism of tail-loss evolution in humans and apes, with implications for human health today.
Transposable elements, also known as junk DNA, constitute nearly half of the human genome. This Review by Liang et al. discusses how tumours exploit these transposable elements during their evolution but also how they represent a vulnerability that could be targeted through immunotherapeutic approaches.
It has recently been reported a link between Alzheimer’s disease and mobilization of transposable elements (TEs) in heterochromatic regions. Here the authors demonstrate that dysregulation of the pioneer transcription factor c-JUN (AP-1) underlies aberrant transposable element mobilization, associated innate immune 2 response, and impaired neurogenesis in Alzheimer’s disease.
The direct impacts of transposable element dynamics on polyploid regulation and developmental specificity remain unclear. Here, the authors show that a large proportion of enhancer-like elements (ELEs) are mainly originated from RLG_famc7.3 specifically expanded in subgenome A, producing active nascent transcripts and influencing wheat spike development.
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Barbara McClintock’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of transposable elements, Cédric Feschotte reflects on McClintock’s life and legacy and how her work has shaped and defined the field of genetics.
A new study in Science reports the refactoring of genetic codes in Escherichia coli to create a bidirectional ‘genetic firewall’ that prevents genetic transfer from or to synthetic organisms.
In this Journal Club article, Geoff Faulkner discusses how a ground-breaking study of LINE-1 mobility in human genomes demonstrated not just a role in disease but also molecular details of the mechanisms of retrotransposition.
A study in Nature Communications shows that horizontal transfer of bacterial chromosomes by phage-mediated lateral transduction renders them more mobile than many classically defined mobile genetic elements, including plasmids and transposons.
Two recent studies demonstrate that putative nucleases encoded by IS200/IS605 family transposons are programmable RNA-guided DNA endonucleases, which could represent a new source of genome-editing enzymes for biotechnological applications.