Topic summary
Jumping genes
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Transposable element.
Transposable elements (TEs), also known as transposons, jumping genes, or mobile genetic elements, are DNA sequences that can change their position, or translocate, within a genome. TEs were first identified via genetic studies in maize by Barbara McClintock, a discovery for which she was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. TEs are found in most species across all branches of the tree of life. Currently there are two classifications of TEs: Class I and Class II TEs. Class I TEs or retrotransposons, generally function via utilization of reverse transcription to "copy and paste" themselves into a different area of the genome. Class II TEs or DNA transposons, encode for the protein transposase (and sometimes other proteins), which they require for insertion, excision, or other TE functions.