title: Molecular biology of transposable elements.
abstract: Transposable elements play an essential part in the epidemic spread of antibiotic resistances among bacterial populations. Their ubiquity and their role in the molecular evolution of genomes and organisms has captured the interest of molecular biologists, who investigate the genetic structure and novel mechanisms of recombination underlying transposition. This article, after introducing the general structure of mobile genetic elements and basic mechanistic concepts of transposition in bacteria, uses the well-studied Tn3 family as paradigm for gene organization, gene function and gene regulation. Finally, new applications of transposons in genetic engineering will be described.
mesh_terms: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D005798:Genes, Bacterial
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements