Mobile elements and mammalian genome evolution

Prescott L. Deininger, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
John V. Moran, University of Michigan Medical School
Mark A. Batzer, Louisiana State University
Haig H. Kazazian, University of Pennsylvania

Abstract

Mobile elements make up large portions of most eukaryotic genomes. They create genetic instability, not only through insertional mutation but also by contributing recombination substrates, both during and long after their insertion. The combination of whole-genome sequences and the development of innovative new assays to test the function of mobile elements have increased our understanding of how these elements mobilize and how their insertion impacts genome diversity and human disease.