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POST GENOME. "The last 15 years have seen a huge accumulation of data regarding retroviruses and the sequence and structure of their genomes and proteins." https://lnkd.in/eBisbvi View in LinkedIn

DARK MATTER. "Despite being ubiquitous, viruses are often called the dark matter of biology as their influence frequently goes unnoticed." https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27384-virus-hiding-in-our-genome-protects-early-human-embryos/ View in LinkedIn

THE BOSS. "We are creatures controlled by viruses." https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27384-virus-hiding-in-our-genome-protects-early-human-embryos/ View in LinkedIn

STABILITY. "Because transposon movement can be destructive, it is not surprising that most of the transposon sequences in the human genome are silent, thus allowing this genome to remain relatively stable, despite the prevalence of TEs. In fact, investigators think that of the 17% of the human genome that is encoded by L1-related sequences, only about 100 active L1 elements remain." http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/transposons-the-jumping-genes-518 View in LinkedIn

MECHANISM. "Some silenced TEs are inactive because they have mutations that affect their ability to move from one chromosomal location to another; others are perfectly intact and capable of moving but are kept inactive by epigenetic defense mechanisms such as DNA methylation, chromatin remodeling, and miRNAs." http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/transposons-the-jumping-genes-518 View in LinkedIn

SILENCING. "As opposed to L1, most TEs appear to be silent—in other words, these elements do not produce a phenotypic effect, nor do they actively move around the genome. At least that has been the general scientific consensus." http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/transposons-the-jumping-genes-518 View in LinkedIn

FUNCTION AND LOCATION. "Much of what a transposon does depends on where it lands. Landing inside a gene can result in a mutation, as was discovered when insertions of L1 into the factor VIII gene caused hemophilia. Similarly, a few years later, researchers found L1 in the APC genes in colon cancer cells but not in the APC genes in healthy cells in the same individuals." http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/transposons-the-jumping-genes-518 View in LinkedIn

AUTONOMY. "Both class 1 and class 2 TEs can be either autonomous or nonautonomous. Autonomous TEs can move on their own, while nonautonomous elements require the presence of other TEs in order to move. This is because nonautonomous elements lack the gene for the transposase or reverse transcriptase that is needed for their transposition, so they must "borrow" these proteins from another element in order to move." http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/transposons-the-jumping-genes-518 View in LinkedIn

ANCIENT RUINS. "One of these new studies...has uncovered some 80 examples of viral genetic data circulating in the genomes of vertebrate species for the past 40 million years." https://lnkd.in/bX9m4fJ View in LinkedIn

AUTONOMOUS TRANSPOSONS. "Less than 2% of the human genome is composed of class 2 TEs. This means that the majority of the substantial portion of the human genome that is mobile consists of the other major class of TEs—the retrotransposons." http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/transposons-the-jumping-genes-518 View in LinkedIn