Retrotransposons as regulators of gene expression

Parasitic DNAs help and hinder evolution Transposable elements are parasitic DNAs that can duplicate themselves and jump around their host genomes. They can both disrupt gene function and drive genome evolution. Elbarbary et al. review the roles of two classes of transposable elements in gene regulation and disease: long interspersed elements (LINEs) and short interspersed elements (SINEs). Roughly a third of the human genome consists of LINEs and SINEs. They contribute to a broad range of important genome and gene regulatory features, while at the same time being responsible for number of human diseases. Science , this issue p. 10.1126/science.aac7247