Editing Transposable element (section)

{{Short description|Semiparasitic DNA sequence}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
[[File:Composite transposon.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.4| A [[DNA transposon#Bacteria|bacterial DNA transposon]]]]

A '''transposable element''' ('''TE'''), also   '''transposon''', or '''jumping gene''', is a type of [[mobile genetic element]], a [[nucleic acid sequence]] in [[DNA]] that can change its position within a [[genome]], sometimes creating or reversing [[mutation]]s and altering the cell's genetic identity and [[genome size]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Bourque G, Burns KH, Gehring M, Gorbunova V, Seluanov A, Hammell M, Imbeault M, Izsvák Z, Levin HL, Macfarlan TS, Mager DL, Feschotte C | display-authors = 6 | title = Ten things you should know about transposable elements | journal = Genome Biology | volume = 19 | issue = 1 | pages = 199 | date = November 2018 | pmid = 30454069 | pmc = 6240941 | doi = 10.1186/s13059-018-1577-z | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |vauthors=Makałowski W, Gotea V, Pande A, Makałowska I |chapter=Transposable Elements: Classification, Identification, and Their Use as a Tool for Comparative Genomics |title=Evolutionary Genomics |veditors=Anisimova M |series=Methods in Molecular Biology |place=New York, NY |publisher=Humana |volume=1910 |pages=185–186 |date=2019 |pmid=31278665 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4939-9074-0_6 |isbn=978-1-4939-9074-0 |doi-access=free |s2cid=195814061}}</ref>

Transposition often results in duplication of the same genetic material. The discovery of mobile genetic elements earned [[Barbara McClintock]] a [[Nobel Prize]] in 1983.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = McClintock B | title = The origin and behavior of mutable loci in maize | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 36 | issue = 6 | pages = 344–55 | date = June 1950 | pmid = 15430309 | pmc = 1063197 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.36.6.344 | bibcode = 1950PNAS...36..344M | doi-access = free }}</ref> Further research into transposons has potential for use in [[gene therapy]], and the finding of new drug targets in [[personalized medicine]]. The vast number of variables in the transposon makes [[data analytics]] difficult but combined with other sequencing technologies significant advances may be made in the understanding and treatment of disease.<ref name="Wellinger">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wellinger, RE, Aguilar-Ruiz, JS | display-authors = 2 | title = A new challenge for data analytics: transposons | journal = BioData Mining | volume = 15 | issue = 9 | date = 2022 | page = 9 | doi = 10.1186/s13040-022-00294-x | pmid = 35337342 | pmc = 8957154 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

Transposable elements make up about half of the genome in a [[eukaryotic cell]], accounting for much of human [[genetic diversity]].<ref name="Wellinger"/>  Although TEs are [[selfish genetic element]]s, many are important in genome function and evolution.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Bucher E, Reinders J, Mirouze M | title = Epigenetic control of transposon transcription and mobility in Arabidopsis | journal = Current Opinion in Plant Biology | volume = 15 | issue = 5 | pages = 503–10 | date = November 2012 | pmid = 22940592 | doi = 10.1016/j.pbi.2012.08.006 | bibcode = 2012COPB...15..503B }}</ref> Transposons are also very useful to researchers as a means to alter DNA inside a living organism.

There are at least two classes of TEs: Class I TEs or [[retrotransposon]]s generally function via [[reverse transcription]], while Class II TEs or [[DNA transposon]]s encode the protein [[transposase]], which they require for insertion and excision, and some of these TEs also encode other proteins.<ref name="prayla">{{cite journal | vauthors = Pray LA | title =Transposons: The jumping genes | journal =Nature Education | volume =1 | issue =1 | page =204 | year =2008 | url =http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/transposons-the-jumping-genes-518}}</ref>