transposon

noun

trans·​po·​son tran(t)s-ˈpō-zän How to pronounce transposon (audio)
: 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 Researchers believe they’re somehow partnered with transposons — maybe helping them, or perhaps hitching a ride. Amber Dance, Discover Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 Some of these system-wide changes removed repetitive segments of DNA or took out pieces called transposons that make genomes more prone to mutation. IEEE Spectrum, 10 Mar. 2017 Get Quanta Magazine delivered to your inbox Introduction Previous studies of horizontal transfers have often focused on the mobile genetic elements called transposons. Saugat Bolakhe, Quanta Magazine, 3 Aug. 2023 In 2020, their work uncovered nearly 1,000 distinct horizontal transfers involving transposons that had occurred in over 300 vertebrate genomes. Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 30 Mar. 2023 In 2021 Wang discovered a transposon that activates a critical gene in mouse embryos; delete that single transposon, and many of the embryos die. Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2022 The parallels between introners and transposons strongly suggested a possible answer to the mystery of where most introns came from. Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 30 Mar. 2023 Looking closer, the team saw that a number of these genes---about 13%---were very near on the genome to a particular kind of transposon specific to placental mammals. Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 27 Sep. 2011 The researchers discovered that the element waking Ruby up is a kind of rogue gene called a transposon. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 23 Mar. 2012

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'transposon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

transpose + -on entry 2

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of transposon was in 1974

Dictionary Entries Near transposon

Cite this Entry

“Transposon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transposon. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

transposon

noun
trans·​po·​son ˌtran(t)s-ˈpō-ˌzän How to pronounce transposon (audio)
: a transposable element especially when it contains genetic material controlling functions other than those related to its relocation

More from Merriam-Webster on transposon

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