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Transposable elements and the evolution of regulatory networks

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 9, pages 397–405 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

The control and coordination of eukaryotic gene expression rely on transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory networks. Although progress has been made in mapping the components and deciphering the function of these networks, the mechanisms by which such intricate circuits originate and evolve remain poorly understood. Here I revisit and expand earlier models and propose that genomic repeats, and in particular transposable elements, have been a rich source of material for the assembly and tinkering of eukaryotic gene regulatory systems.

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Figure 1: Transposable elements can influence gene expression in many ways.
Figure 2: Building regulatory systems with transposable elements.
Figure 3: DNA-binding proteins and transcription factors derived from transposases.

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Acknowledgements

I owe many thanks to C. Casola, J-M. Deragon, J. Fondon, I. K. Jordan, A. Pires da Silva, E. Pritham and D. Voytas for discussions and comments during the preparation of this article. I also thank the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and useful suggestions. The author apologizes to many colleagues whose relevant work and original articles could not be cited owing to space limitations. Research in the C. F. laboratory is supported by grants from the US National Institutes of Health.

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  1. Cédric Feschotte is at the Department of Biology, Life Science Building, BOX 19498, University of Texas, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA. cedric@uta.edu,

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Feschotte, C. Transposable elements and the evolution of regulatory networks. Nat Rev Genet 9, 397–405 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg2337

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