BIO 315H Chapter : Transposons.pdf
Document Summary
Transposable elements are mobile dna sequences that insert into many locations within a genome and often cause mutations and dna rearrangements. Most transposable elements have two common characteristics: terminal inverted repeats and the generation of short direct repeats in dna at the point of insertion. The movement of dna is catalyzed by the enzyme transposase, which is often encoded by the transposon itself. All genomes, including mammalian genomes, have evidence of transposable elements. However, many of these transposable elements in humans have been shortened and are therefore no longer actively jumping. the mutagenic ability of transposons can also be harnessed by scientists to make mutations to study gene functions. Pierce ch 18# 33, 34, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42: what is the function of transposase, understand the general differences between replicative and non-replicative transposons; and the differences between dna transposons and retrotransposons.
