Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 0G1, Canada.
Canadian Center for Computational Genomics, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 0G1, Canada.
Genome Biol. 2018 Nov 19;19(1):199. doi: 10.1186/s13059-018-1577-z.
Transposable elements (TEs) are major components of eukaryotic genomes. However, the extent of their impact on genome evolution, function, and disease remain a matter of intense interrogation. The rise of genomics and large-scale functional assays has shed new light on the multi-faceted activities of TEs and implies that they should no longer be marginalized. Here, we introduce the fundamental properties of TEs and their complex interactions with their cellular environment, which are crucial to understanding their impact and manifold consequences for organismal biology. While we draw examples primarily from mammalian systems, the core concepts outlined here are relevant to a broad range of organisms.
转座元件 (TEs) 是真核基因组的主要组成部分。然而，它们对基因组进化、功能和疾病的影响程度仍然是一个备受关注的问题。基因组学和大规模功能分析的兴起，使我们对 TEs 的多方面活动有了新的认识，这意味着它们不应该再被边缘化。在这里，我们介绍 TEs 的基本特性及其与细胞环境的复杂相互作用，这对于理解它们对生物体生物学的影响和多方面的后果至关重要。虽然我们主要从哺乳动物系统中举例，但这里概述的核心概念与广泛的生物体相关。
