Retrotransposons and Genome Plasticity
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Institute for Research on Cancer and Ageing of Nice (IRCAN), CNRS UMR 7284, Inserm U1081, Université Côte d’Azur
IRCAN – Faculté de Médecine
28, Av. Valombrose
06107 Nice Cedex 2
France
Scientific Interest
Retrotransposons are highly repeated DNA sequences that are abundant in the human genome. They are dispersed by a copy-and-paste mechanism, called retrotransposition, involving an RNA intermediate and a reverse transcription step. This process can lead to profound chromosomal rearrangements. Although generally silent, retrotransposons are expressed and mobile in germ cells, in the early embryo and in embryonic stem cells, which can cause genetic diseases. Retrotransposons are also massively re-expressed in the vast majority of cancers, contributing to tumor genome plasticity. Our team is studying the mechanisms of reactivation of retrotransposons in human cancers, their insertion site preference and their impact on genes. To this end, we are developing innovative genomic approaches, combining biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and bioinformatics. Understanding how the activity of retrotransposons is controlled will improve our knowledge of the mechanisms that lead to the appearance of new genetic diseases or the formation of cancers.
Retrotransposons are highly repeated DNA sequences that are abundant in the human genome. They are dispersed by a copy-and-paste mechanism, called retrotransposition, involving an RNA intermediate and a reverse transcription step. This process can lead to profound chromosomal rearrangements. Although generally silent, retrotransposons are expressed and mobile in germ cells, in the early embryo and in embryonic stem cells, which can cause genetic diseases. Retrotransposons are also massively re-expressed in the vast majority of cancers, contributing to tumor genome plasticity. Our team is studying the mechanisms of reactivation of retrotransposons in human cancers, their insertion site preference and their impact on genes. To this end, we are developing innovative genomic approaches, combining biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and bioinformatics. Understanding how the activity of retrotransposons is controlled will improve our knowledge of the mechanisms that lead to the appearance of new genetic diseases or the formation of cancers.
Database
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