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Modern Genetic Analysis Chapter 13. Transposable Genetic Elements
Review of Transposable Elements in Eukaryotes

Let's examine some of the essential points about eukaryotic transposable elements:

1. Transposable elements exist in all cells. Elements in yeast, Drosophila, and maize have been well studied, as have retroviruses in mammalian cells.
2. Some transposable elements can be used as tools for cloning and gene manipulation. For instance, the P elements of Drosophila can be employed to transfer genes into the germ line of a recipient fly. Another examplethe T-DNA segment of Ti plasmids (described in Chapter 11)can be used to introduce cloned genes into certain plants.
3. A similarity between eukaryotic transposable elements and their counterparts in prokaryotes is that transposition into a new site generates a short repeated sequence at the target site.
4. A difference between certain eukaryotic and prokaryotic transposable elements lies in the mechanism of transposition. Some eukaryotic transposable elements transpose through an RNA intermediate; prokaryotic elements do not use an RNA intermediate.

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