Transposon-host cell interactions in the regulation of Sleeping Beauty transposition

Abstract

The mobility of transposable elements in natural populations is usually strictly regulated in order to preserve genomic stability. It is believed that the fine control of transposon movement is brought about by both transposon- and host cell-encoded factors and mechanisms. The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon is a reconstructed element, the first ever shown to be active in any vertebrate-derived cell. SB not only represents a powerful gene vector system for genomic manipulations in vertebrate species, but also has been serving as a useful experimental system to address transposon-host cell interactions at the molecular level. We have established that, in addition to the element-encoded transposase, cellular factors are involved in SB transposition and its regulation. Here we review regulatory mechanisms affecting transposition, with a special emphasis on only those that have been described for the SB element. Regulatory processes that act on the levels of transcription, chromatin, cell-cycle regulation, double-strand DNA break repair, and target site selection will be presented. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.