Transposable elements and the epigenetic regulation of the genome
Abstract
Overlapping epigenetic mechanisms have evolved in eukaryotic cells to silence the expression and mobility of transposable elements (TEs). Owing to their ability to recruit the silencing machinery, TEs have served as building blocks for epigenetic phenomena, both at the level of single genes and across larger chromosomal regions. Important progress has been made recently in understanding these silencing mechanisms. In addition, new insights have been gained into how this silencing has been co-opted to serve essential functions in 'host' cells, highlighting the importance of TEs in the epigenetic regulation of the genome.
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Many transposable elements are embedded within highly condensed constitutive heterochromatin and are epigenetically silenced.
“Many transposable elements are embedded within highly condensed constitutive heterochromatin, and are thus epigenetically silenced2.”
From Pathogenic tau-induced piRNA depletion promotes neuronal death through transposable element dysregulation in neurodegenerative tauopathies (2018) · cites this paper as [2]
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- Authors
- Slotkin, R. K., & Martienssen, R.
- Affiliations
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (US)
- Corresponding author
- Martienssen, Robert
- Venue
- Nature Reviews Genetics
- Published
- 2007-04
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 272-285
- ISSN
- 1471-0056 (ISSN-L)
- 1471-0064
- OpenAlex
- W1997270596
- Cited by
- 2,044
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 76 · 2025: 99 · 2024: 96 · 2023: 112 · 2022: 111 · 2021: 147 · 2020: 137 · 2019: 121 · 2018: 117 · 2017: 114 · 2016: 99 · 2015: 102 · 2014: 114 · 2013: 143 · 2012: 115
- FWCI
- 7.14
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature Reviews Genetics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Institutional Repository (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM067014)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
- Keywords
- transposable elements, epigenetic regulation, transposon silencing, genome regulation, chromosome biology, gene expression regulation, eukaryotic cells
- MeSH terms
- Alleles, Animals, Centromere, Chromatin, DNA Transposable Elements, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Humans, Male, Models, Genetic, Phenotype, Telomere, Genome, Genomic Imprinting, Evolution, Molecular, Gene Silencing, Epigenesis, Genetic, Mice
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