transposon
Noun
Meaning
a segment of DNA that can become integrated at many different sites along a chromosome (especially a segment of bacterial DNA that can be translocated as a whole)
Source: WordNetSynonyms
Hypernyms
Phrases with the word
Examples
In some cases, a replicative transposition is observed in which a transposon replicates itself to a new target site (e.g. helitron (biology) ).
It is not yet understood why these elements are spliced, whether by chance, or by some preferential action by the transposon.
Sometimes the insertion of a TE into a gene can disrupt that gene's function in a reversible manner, in a process called insertional mutagenesis ; transposase-mediated excision of the DNA transposon restores gene function.
This step cuts out the DNA transposon, which is then ligated into a new target site; the process involves activity of a DNA polymerase that fills in gaps and of a DNA ligase that closes the sugar-phosphate backbone.
Such an insertion could intronize the transposon without disrupting the coding sequence when a transposon inserts into the sequence AGGT, resulting in the duplication of this sequence on each side of the transposon.