About this Research Topic

Background

Transposable elements are very common mobile genetic elements that are composed of several classes and make up the majority of eukaryotic genomes. The movement and accumulation of mobile genetic elements have been a major force in the formation of the genes and genomes of nearly all organisms. As dispersed and ubiquitous mobile elements, their life cycle of replicative transposition leads to genome rearrangements affecting cellular function. Transposable elements are important drivers of species diversity, and they exhibit great variety in structure, size, and mechanisms of transposition, making them important putative actors in genome evolution.

Bioinformatics and high throughput plant genomics are the key tools in these studies. The application of transposable elements-based throughput techniques assesses the analysis of genetic diversity, including the following issues: sequencing and bioinformatic tools, genome-wide profiling for transposable element analysis of repetitive elements, discovery and comparative analysis of transposable elements, mobile element and host genome evolution.

As genetic tools, DNA transposons can be used to introduce a piece of foreign DNA into a genome. Indeed, they have been used for transgenesis and insertional mutagenesis in different organisms, since these elements are not generally dependent on host factors to mediate their mobility. Thus, DNA transposons are useful tools to analyse the regulatory genome, study embryonic development, identify genes and pathways implicated in disease or pathogenesis of pathogens, and even contribute to gene therapy.

This Research Topic aims to focus on:
- Mobile element and host genome evolution.
- Discovery and comparative analysis of transposable elements.
- Genome-wide profiling for transposable element analysis of repetitive elements.
- Bioinformatic tools.

We welcome the following article types: Original Research, Reviews, and Opinions.

Keywords: Plant Genome Evolution, Transposable Elements, Retrotransposon

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