Retroposon

A retroposon or non-LTR transposon is a transposable , i.e. jumping DNA sequence that uses RNA as a mobile intermediate stage ( retro elements ) but has no flanking repeat sequences ( long terminal repeats ). Often, including in some textbooks, the term "retroposon" is incorrectly described as an abbreviation for " retrotransposon " and equated with it. Retrotransposons, more precisely LTR retrotransposons, use a completely different transposition mechanism and are therefore not to be equated with retroposons.

Retroposons often have a poly (A) region, which is why it is assumed that they are transcribed , rewritten into cDNA by a reverse transcriptase and reintegrated. This is also known as retroposition.

Well-known retroposons are:

• the I factor in Drosophila melanogaster
• SINEs in mammals
• IVS elements of rRNA in insects
• the Cin4 element in maize

literature

• JD Boeke, VD Corces: Transcription and reverse transcription of retrotransposons In: Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 43, 1989, pp. 403-34
• J. Brosius: Retroposons-Seeds of Evolution In: Science . 251, 1991, p. 753