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Retroelements and their impact on genome evolution and functioning

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Abstract

Retroelements comprise a considerable fraction of eukaryotic genomes. Since their initial discovery by Barbara McClintock in maize DNA, retroelements have been found in genomes of almost all organisms. First considered as a “junk DNA” or genomic parasites, they were shown to influence genome functioning and to promote genetic innovations. For this reason, they were suggested as an important creative force in the genome evolution and adaptation of an organism to altered environmental conditions. In this review, we summarize the up-to-date knowledge of different ways of retroelement involvement in structural and functional evolution of genes and genomes, as well as the mechanisms generated by cells to control their retrotransposition.

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Acknowledgments

The authors were supported by the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, by the grant of the President of the Russian Federation and by the grant 08-04-00720-a and 09-04-12302 from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. We apologize to authors whose primary references have not been cited due to space limitations.

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  1. Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, 16/10 Miklukho-Maklaya st, 117997, Moscow, Russia

    Elena Gogvadze & Anton Buzdin

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  1. Elena Gogvadze
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Correspondence to Elena Gogvadze.

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Gogvadze, E., Buzdin, A. Retroelements and their impact on genome evolution and functioning. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 66, 3727–3742 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-009-0107-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-009-0107-2

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