Editing Transposable element (section)

== Applications ==
{{Main|Transposons as a genetic tool}}Transposable elements can be harnessed in laboratory and research settings to study genomes of organisms and even engineer genetic sequences. The use of transposable elements can be split into two categories: for genetic engineering and as a genetic tool.

=== Genetic engineering ===

* Insertional mutagenesis uses the features of a TE to insert a sequence. In most cases, this is used to remove a DNA sequence or cause a frameshift mutation.
** In some cases the insertion of a TE into a gene can disrupt that gene's function in a reversible manner where transposase-mediated excision of the DNA transposon restores gene function.
** This produces plants in which neighboring cells have different [[genotype]]s.
** This feature allows researchers to distinguish between genes that must be present inside of a cell in order to function (cell-autonomous) and genes that produce observable effects in cells other than those where the gene is expressed.

=== Genetic tool ===
In addition to the qualities mentioned for Genetic engineering, a Genetic tool also:-
* Used for analysis of gene expression and protein functioning in [[Signature-tagged mutagenesis|signature-tagging mutagenesis]].
** This analytical tool allows researchers the ability to determine [[Phenotype|phenotypic]] expression of gene sequences. Also, this analytic technique mutates the desired locus of interest so that the phenotypes of the original and the mutated gene can be compared.

=== Specific applications ===

* TEs are also a widely used tool for mutagenesis of most experimentally tractable organisms. The Sleeping Beauty transposon system has been used extensively as an insertional tag for identifying cancer genes.<ref name=":1" />
* The Tc1/mariner-class of TEs Sleeping Beauty transposon system, awarded Molecule of the Year in 2009,<ref name="Wojciech Makałowski p. 337-359" /> is active in mammalian cells and is being investigated for use in human gene therapy.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />
* TEs are used for the reconstruction of phylogenies by the means of presence/absence analyses.<ref name=":5" /> Transposons can act as biological mutagen in bacteria.
* Common organisms which the use of Transposons has been well developed are:
**''[[Drosophila]]''<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Tempel S, Rousseau C, Tahi F, Nicolas J | title = ModuleOrganizer: detecting modules in families of transposable elements | journal = BMC Bioinformatics | volume = 11 | pages = 474 | date = September 2010 | pmid = 20860790 | pmc = 2955051 | doi = 10.1186/1471-2105-11-474 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
** ''[[Arabidopsis thaliana]]''<ref name="Mobilization of transposons by a mu"/>
** ''[[Escherichia coli]]''