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transposon

transposon

2 9.9
A piece of DNA that moves to new places in a cell and can change genes
  • noun
  • /trænsˈpoʊzɒn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : transposón
  • Might that transposon affect fitness in the future? Did it affect fitness in the past?

Examples

  • These nimble pieces of genetic material are also known as transposons.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Transposons also facilitate the transfer of genes that enable the bacteria to become drug-resistant.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Because they knew the genetic sequence of the transposon, they could find it in the N gene.

    Academic text (1995)
  • So here there you can see there is an integrase which is part of the transposon facility.

  • The presence of these transposons further facilitates the transfer of resistance genes between bacteria.

    Academic text (2000)
  • When the plantlets began succumbing to the virus, the researchers figured that the transposon had likely hit the N gene and disabled it.

    Academic text (1995)
  • When transposons, or "jumping genes," bundle other resistance genes into a plasmid, the recipient microbe becomes equipped with multiple resistances.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Many intact bacteria contain specialized transposons, termed integrons, that are like flypaper in their propensity for capturing new genes.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Enterobacteriaceae isolated from both humans and animals in 1983 showed little resistance to nourseothricin, but by 1985, transposon-encoded resistant E. coli were isolated from pigs and meat products.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Transposons can move from one location to another in the genome, thereby altering the function of nearby transposons.

Synonyms

jumping gene
vstransposon
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A piece of DNA that moves to new places in a cell

often changes gene function when it inserts into new sites

How Active

transposon
  • Specialized
2 9.9
noncoding DNA
  • Specialized
6.0

Surface Forms

transposon singular
transposons plural

Morphology

transposon = transpose (semi-transparent) = transpos + on

Formed from 'transpose' + the noun-forming suffix '-on'; the idea of 'moving/changing position' maps to the genetic element's mobility, but '-on' is a technical suffix and the term is specialized jargon.

Etymology

Transposon breaks into trans- meaning 'across' and the same root as position meaning 'place'. So a transposon is a piece of DNA that can move 'across places' inside an organism's DNA, which is why it can insert into genes and change how they work.