Transposon mutagenesis, or transposition mutagenesis, is a biological process that allows genes to be transferred to a host organism's chromosome, interrupting or modifying the function of an extant gene on the chromosome and causing mutation.[1]

History

Transposon mutagenesis was first studied by Barbara McClintock in the mid-20th century during her Nobel Prize-winning work with corn. [2][3]

Dynamics

In the case of bacteria, transposition mutagenesis is usually accomplished by way of a plasmid from which a transposon is extracted and inserted into the host chromosome. This usually requires a set of enzymes including transposase to be translated.[3]

References

1. ^ "Feeding hungry mouths" - European Commission
2. ^ "Detecting a transposon in corn" - Weed to Wonder
3. ^ a b "Detecting a Transposon Tag in Arabidopsis" - Greenomes

External links

* Jumping genes: from phenomenon to tool
* "Transposon Mutagenisis" - Food Ingredient News
* "Pathogenesis and Immunity in Pertussis" - JAMA
* "Transposon mutagenesis of nuclear photosynthetic genes in Zea mays" - SpringerLink