transposon
noun
trans·po·son
| \ tran(t)s-ˈpō-zän
\
\
Definition of transposon
: a transposable element especially when it contains genetic material controlling functions other than those related to its relocation
Examples of transposon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Parts of this noncoding portion of the genome are riddled with repetitive DNA sequences, caused by transposable genetic elements, or transposons, that copy and insert themselves throughout the genome. — Quanta Magazine, "Theorists Debate How ‘Neutral’ Evolution Really Is," 8 Nov. 2018 Then Travis Thomson arrived in her lab as a postdoc after completing another postdoc in a lab that studied the mobile genetic elements called transposons, many of which resemble viruses. — Quanta Magazine, "Cells Talk in a Language That Looks Like Viruses," 2 May 2018 Budnik’s experience with Arc led her to look for other transposons and viral elements transported by extracellular vesicles. — Quanta Magazine, "Cells Talk in a Language That Looks Like Viruses," 2 May 2018 By helping its host cells, Feschotte says, the transposon achieves its selfish ends. — Mitch Leslie, Science | AAAS, "Don’t call it junk—This ‘jumping’ gene may be why you made it past an embryo," 21 June 2018 That said, transposons often behave like unwelcome houseguests. — Mitch Leslie, Science | AAAS, "Don’t call it junk—This ‘jumping’ gene may be why you made it past an embryo," 21 June 2018 This is surprising, since the genome expansion in other plant pathogens is driven by transposon proliferation. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Check out the genes on this huge ‘shroom," 9 Nov. 2017 To create the mutant spinners, Fraser and his colleagues used a movable sequence of DNA called the piggyBac transposon to insert snips of spider genes into silkworm embryos. — Lisa Grossman, WIRED, "Mutant Worms Produce Piles of Spider Silk," 4 Oct. 2010These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'transposon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for transposon
transposon
noun
trans·po·son
| \ ˌtran(t)s-ˈpō-ˌzän
\
\
Medical Definition of transposon
: a transposable element especially when it contains genetic material controlling functions other than those related to its relocation