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Interspersed repetitive sequences are identical or nearly identical DNA sequences that are scattered throughout the genome, as a result of transposition or retrotransposition events. One example is the Alu element, a sequence 300 bp that belongs to the short interspersed elements (SINE) family and is found in the genome of primates, with >1 million copies in the human genome.
KRAB-zinc finger proteins repress retrotransposons and rapidly evolve in mammals. Here, the authors show that ERV insertions drive the emergence and diversification of new KZFP genes in mice, revealing a co-evolutionary mechanism between retroviruses and host repressors.
Transposons are repetitive DNA sequences that are hard to identify and map accurately. TEtrimmer automates key manual steps, enabling faster and more reliable annotation of transposable elements in any genome.
This Review describes tools and approaches for characterizing short tandem repeats in the human genome from whole-genome sequencing data. Furthermore, the authors discuss how these recent developments have helped to better understand the effect of short tandem repeats on human health and disease.
A new paper in Science reports that human genomes encode a large repertoire of retroviral envelope-derived proteins, with potential roles in protecting from infection by other retroviruses.
A new study by Cosby et al., investigating the role of DNA transposable elements in exon shuffling, reports that transposase capture is a recurrent process in evolution underlying the origin of new regulators of gene expression.
RNA editing by ADAR1 destabilizes epigenetic-treatment-induced retrotransposon stem–loops and thus dampens the immune response to the treatment, suggesting that ADAR1 could be a therapeutic target in combination with epigenetic therapy.
