Bajus Marko, Macko-Podgórni Alicja, Grzebelus Dariusz, Baránek Miroslav
Mendeleum-Institute of Genetics, Faculty of Horticulture, Mendel University in Brno, Lednice, Czechia.
Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Kraków, Poland.
Front Plant Sci. 2022 Dec 1;13:1080993. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1080993. eCollection 2022.
Transposable elements (TEs) were initially considered redundant and dubbed 'junk DNA'. However, more recently they were recognized as an essential element of genome plasticity. In nature, they frequently become active upon exposition of the host to stress conditions. Even though most transposition events are neutral or even deleterious, occasionally they may happen to be beneficial, resulting in genetic novelty providing better fitness to the host. Hence, TE mobilization may promote adaptability and, in the long run, act as a significant evolutionary force. There are many examples of TE insertions resulting in increased tolerance to stresses or in novel features of crops which are appealing to the consumer. Possibly, TE-driven variability could be utilized for crop improvement. However, in order to systematically study the mechanisms of TE/host interactions, it is necessary to have suitable tools to globally monitor any ongoing TE mobilization. With the development of novel potent technologies, new high-throughput strategies for studying TE dynamics are emerging. Here, we present currently available methods applied to monitor the activity of TEs in plants. We divide them on the basis of their operational principles, the position of target molecules in the process of transposition and their ability to capture real cases of actively transposing elements. Their possible theoretical and practical drawbacks are also discussed. Finally, conceivable strategies and combinations of methods resulting in an improved performance are proposed.
转座元件（TEs）最初被认为是多余的，并被称为“垃圾DNA”。然而，最近它们被认为是基因组可塑性的重要组成部分。在自然界中，当宿主暴露于应激条件时，它们常常会变得活跃起来。尽管大多数转座事件是中性的，甚至是有害的，但偶尔也可能是有益的，从而产生遗传新奇性，使宿主具有更好的适应性。因此，TE的移动可能会促进适应性，从长远来看，它是一种重要的进化力量。有许多TE插入导致对压力耐受性增加或产生吸引消费者的作物新特性的例子。TE驱动的变异性可能被用于作物改良。然而，为了系统地研究TE/宿主相互作用的机制，有必要拥有合适的工具来全面监测任何正在进行的TE移动。随着新型强大技术的发展，研究TE动态的新的高通量策略正在出现。在这里，我们介绍目前用于监测植物中TE活性的可用方法。我们根据它们的操作原理、转座过程中靶分子的位置以及它们捕获活跃转座元件实际情况的能力对它们进行分类。还讨论了它们可能存在的理论和实际缺点。最后，提出了可能提高性能的可设想策略和方法组合。
