Ten things you should know about transposable elements
Guillaume Bourque(McGill University), Kathleen H. Burns(Johns Hopkins University), Mary Gehring(Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research), Vera Gorbunova(University of Rochester), Andrei Seluanov(University of Rochester), Molly Hammell(Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Michaël Imbeault(University of Cambridge), Zsuzsanna Izsvák(Max Delbrück Center), Henry L. Levin(National Institutes of Health), Todd S. Macfarlan(National Institutes of Health), Dixie L. Mager(BC Cancer Agency), Cédric Feschotte(Cornell University)
Cited by 1,497Open Access
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are major components of eukaryotic genomes. However, the extent of their impact on genome evolution, function, and disease remain a matter of intense interrogation. The rise of genomics and large-scale functional assays has shed new light on the multi-faceted activities of TEs and implies that they should no longer be marginalized. Here, we introduce the fundamental properties of TEs and their complex interactions with their cellular environment, which are crucial to understanding their impact and manifold consequences for organismal biology. While we draw examples primarily from mammalian systems, the core concepts outlined here are relevant to a broad range of organisms.