Mobile genetic elements

Mobile genetic elements (MGE) are a type of DNA that can move around within the genome. They include:

• Transposons (also called transposable elements)
  • Retrotransposons
  • DNA transposons
  • Integrons
  • Insertion sequences
• Plasmids
• Bacteriophage elements, like Mu which integrates randomly into the genome
• Group II introns

The total of all mobile genetic elements in a genome may be referred to as the mobilome.

Barbara McClintock was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for her discovery of mobile genetic elements".

Mobile Genetic Elements Media

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  DNA transposons, LTR retrotransposons, SINEs, and LINEs make up a majority of the human genome.

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  pBLU is a 5437bp vector plasmid. This vector contains the origin of replication sequence, the restriction enzyme cut site, lacZ gene, and an ampicillin resistance gene.

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  Mobile elements of bacteria and ways of uptake

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  Transposition of target sequence into recombination site in DNA by Transposase. Replication of the transposable sequence starts to occur when transposase cuts single strands on opposite sides of the dsDNA. The replication is completed in the transposon complex and excised to target sequence for recombination.

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  Retrotransposon mechanism that uses reverse transcriptase to change mRNA transposon back into DNA for integration.

Related pages

• Horizontal gene transfer

References

• Miller W.J. and Capy P. (eds) 2004. Mobile genetic elements : protocols and genomic applications. Humana Press. ISBN 1-58829-007-7
• Shapiro J.A. (ed) 1983. Mobile genetic elements. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-638680-3