Paszkowski Jerzy
The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1LR, United Kingdom.
Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2015 Apr;32:200-206. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2015.01.003. Epub 2015 Jan 20.
Plant genomes consist to a large extent of transposable elements (TEs), predominantly retrotransposons. Their accumulation through periodic transposition bursts has shaped the structure and regulatory organization of plant genomes, often contributing to phenotypic traits. Transposon-generated phenotypes selected by humans during plant domestication have been maintained under strict selection during subsequent plant breeding. Our knowledge of the epigenetic, environmental, and developmental regulation of TE activity has advanced considerably in recent years. Here I will consider TEs as an attractive endogenous source of genetic variation that can be liberated in a controlled fashion and thus offer novel phenotypic diversity to be selected for crop improvement.
植物基因组在很大程度上由转座元件（TEs）组成，主要是反转录转座子。它们通过周期性的转座爆发而积累，塑造了植物基因组的结构和调控组织，常常对表型性状有所贡献。在植物驯化过程中由人类选择的转座子产生的表型，在随后的植物育种中一直处于严格选择之下。近年来，我们对转座元件活性的表观遗传、环境和发育调控的认识有了很大进展。在这里，我将把转座元件视为一种有吸引力的内源性遗传变异来源，它可以以可控的方式被释放出来，从而为作物改良提供可供选择的新的表型多样性。
