Retrotransposon-derived regulatory regions and transcripts in stemness

Abstract

Transposable elements (TEs) have contributed greatly to the regulatory landscape of many cell types, including to human embryonic stem cells. In this chapter we summarize recent studies that have shown that TE insertions have silenced nearby genes, introduced transcription factor-binding sites, as well as produced novel transcripts including those that are translated into viral particles and those that are functional as noncoding RNA. We focus on presenting results on human and other mammalian pluripotent stem cells because of their importance in studying human health and evolution. Finally we also discuss the applications, implications, and questions that are raised from this newfound knowledge.