Host-parasite relationships in the genome

Abstract

Transposable elements are best interpreted as genomic parasites, proliferating in genomes through their over-replication relative to the rest of the genome. A new study examining correlations across Drosophila species between transposable element numbers and rates of host evolution has brought into focus one of the most complex questions in transposable element biology-what it is that determines the proportion of the genome that is transposable elements.See research article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/11/258/. © 2011 Brookfield; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.