Retrotransposon
genetic elements that can amplify themselves in a genome and are ubiquitous components of the DNA of many eukaryotic organisms
Retrotransposons (also called Class I transposable elements) are mobile elements which move in the host genome by converting their transcribed RNA into DNA through reverse transcription. Thus, they differ from Class II transposable elements, or DNA transposons, in utilizing an RNA intermediate for the transposition and leaving the transposition donor site unchanged.
Through reverse transcription, retrotransposons amplify themselves quickly to become abundant in eukaryotic genomes such as maize (49–78%) and humans (42%). They are only present in eukaryotes but share features with retroviruses such as HIV, for example, discontinuous reverse transcriptase-mediated extrachromosomal recombination.
There are two main types of retrotransposons, long terminal repeats (LTR) and non-long terminal repeats (non-LTR). Retrotransposons are classified based on sequence and method of transposition. Most retrotransposons in the maize genome are LTR, whereas in humans they are mostly non-LTR.
LTR retrotransposons
LTR retrotransposons are characterized by their long terminal repeats (LTR), which are present at both the 5' and 3' ends of their sequences. These LTR contain the promoters for these transposable elements (TE), are essential for TE integration, and can vary in length from just over 100 base pairs (bp) to more than 1,000 bp. On average, LTR retrotransposons span several thousand base pairs, with the largest known examples reaching up to 30 kilobases (kb).
LTR are highly functional sequences, and for that reason LTR and non-LTR retrotransposons differ greatly in their reverse transcription and integration mechanisms.
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