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Letter |
Epigenetic silencing of engineered L1 retrotransposition events in human embryonic carcinoma cells
The ability of retrotransposons to mobilize and insert into genes presents a challenge to a cell needing to maintain its genomic integrity. These authors have studied retrotransposition in embryonic carcinoma-derived cells. On insertion into DNA, the retrotransposon is quickly silenced, but the retrotransposon-specificity of this process implies that multiple silencing mechanisms may exist. Once cells differentiate, the ability to silence newly introduced retrotransposons is lost but previously inactivated retrotransposons remain inactive.
- Jose L. Garcia-Perez
- , Maria Morell
- & John V. Moran