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Review
. 2006 May;22(5):260-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2006.03.006. Epub 2006 Mar 29.

Do transposable elements really contribute to proteomes?

Valer Gotea  1 , Wojciech Makałowski
Affiliations
Review

Do transposable elements really contribute to proteomes?

Valer Gotea et al. Trends Genet. 2006 May.

Abstract

Recent studies indicate that the initial classification of transposable elements (TEs) as 'useless', 'selfish' or 'junk' pieces of DNA is not an accurate one. TEs seem to have complex regulatory functions and contribute to the coding regions of many genes. Because this contribution had been documented only at transcript level, we searched for evidence that would also support the translation of TE cassettes. Our findings suggest that the proportion of proteins with TE-encoded fragments (approximately 0.1%), although probably underestimated, is much less than what the data at transcript level suggest (approximately 4%). In all cases, the TE cassettes are derived from old TEs, consistent with the idea that incorporation (exaptation) of TE fragments into functional proteins requires long evolutionary periods. We therefore argue that functional proteins are unlikely to contain TE cassettes derived from young TEs, the role of which is probably limited to regulatory functions.

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