title: Retrotransposons: mobile and mutagenic from conception to death.
abstract: Mobile genetic elements feature prominently in mammalian genome evolution. Several transposition-competent retrotransposon families (L1, Alu, SVA) remain active in the human germ line, leading to pathogenesis as well as genome structural variation across the global population. High-throughput screening approaches have recently been developed to detect retrotransposon insertion polymorphisms. Evidence produced by these and other genome-scale technologies indicates an expanded role for retrotransposition in human biology, including somatic mobilisation in the developing embryo and in neural cells.
authors.affiliation: Division of Genetics and Genomics, The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, UK. geoff.faulkner@roslin.ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: Geoffrey J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Faulkner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004194:Disease / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D016296:Mutagenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D018626:Retroelements / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018626:Retroelements