A Field Guide to Eukaryotic Transposable Elements

2020/09/21 by Jonathan N. Wells, Cédric Feschotte · 1 voice · 710 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Biology #Chromosomal and Genetic Variations #Diversification (marketing strategy) #Evolutionary biology #Gene #Genetics #Genome #Genome evolution #Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies #Mobile genetic elements #Novelty #Plant Disease Resistance and Genetics #Retrotransposon #Transposable element

paper · pdf · doi:10.1146/annurev-genet-040620-022145

published in Annual Review of Genetics 54(1), 539-561 (Annual Reviews)

openalex publication_date 2020/09/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06

Abstract

Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile DNA sequences that propagate within genomes. Through diverse invasion strategies, TEs have come to occupy a substantial fraction of nearly all eukaryotic genomes, and they represent a major source of genetic variation and novelty. Here we review the defining features of each major group of eukaryotic TEs and explore their evolutionary origins and relationships. We discuss how the unique biology of different TEs influences their propagation and distribution within and across genomes. Environmental and genetic factors acting at the level of the host species further modulate the activity, diversification, and fate of TEs, producing the dramatic variation in TE content observed across eukaryotes. We argue that cataloging TE diversity and dissecting the idiosyncratic behavior of individual elements are crucial to expanding our comprehension of their impact on the biology of genomes and the evolution of species.

Citations

• The zebrafish reference genome sequence and its relationship to the human genome
• Squamate reptiles challenge paradigms of genomic repeat element evolution set by birds and mammals
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Discussions

• Wells JN and C Feschotte. 2020. A field guide to eukaryotic transposable elements. Annual Review Genetics. 54:539-561. doi.org/10.1146/annu... Bourque G et al. 2018. Ten things you should know about [bsky, 3 points, 1 comments]

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