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P Transposable Elements and Their Use as Vectors for Gene Transfer in Drosophila

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New Frontiers in the Study of Gene Functions

Part of the book series: New Horizons in Therapeutics ((NHTH))

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Abstract

Transposable elements are segments of DNA that move as discrete units from place to place in the genome. They have been found in bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. The frequency at which these elements move depends on a variety of poorly understood factors including element structure, genetic background, and environmental influences. Transposable elements can comprise a substantial fraction of an organism’s genome. For example, approximately 5% of the Drosophila melanogaster genome consists of transposable elements. More than 20 different transposable element families have been identified in D. melanogaster, and these fall into four structural classes (Rubin, 1983).

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© 1987 Plenum Press, New York

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Rubin, G.M., Laski, F.A., Rio, D.C. (1987). P Transposable Elements and Their Use as Vectors for Gene Transfer in Drosophila. In: Poste, G., Crooke, S.T. (eds) New Frontiers in the Study of Gene Functions. New Horizons in Therapeutics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1845-3_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1845-3_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-9030-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-1845-3

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