Transposable Elements and Human Diseases: Mechanisms and Implication in the Response to Environmental Pollutants.

ABSTRACT: Transposable elements (TEs) are recognized as major players in genome plasticity and evolution. The high abundance of TEs in the human genome, especially the Alu and Long Interspersed Nuclear Element-1 (LINE-1) repeats, makes them responsible for the molecular origin of several diseases. This involves several molecular mechanisms that are presented in this review: insertional mutation, DNA recombination and chromosomal rearrangements, modification of gene expression, as well as alteration of epigenetic regulations. This literature review also presents some of the more recent and/or more classical examples of human diseases in which TEs are involved. Whether through insertion of LINE-1 or Alu elements that cause chromosomal rearrangements, or through epigenetic modifications, TEs are widely

SUBMITTER: Chenais B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8910135 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature