Mobile Elements and Plant Genome Evolution, Comparative Analyses and Computational Tools, Volume II

Book excerpt: This Research Topic is part of the Mobile Elements and Plant Genome Evolution, Comparative Analyses and Computational Tools series: Mobile Elements and Plant Genome Evolution, Comparative Analyses and Computational Tools Transposable elements are very common mobile genetic elements that are composed of several classes and make up the majority of eukaryotic genomes. The movement and accumulation of mobile genetic elements have been a major force in the formation of the genes and genomes of nearly all organisms. As dispersed and ubiquitous mobile elements, their life cycle of replicative transposition leads to genome rearrangements affecting cellular function. Transposable elements are important drivers of species diversity, and they exhibit great variety in structure, size, and mechanisms of transposition, making them important putative actors in genome evolution.