August 14, 2013

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Also referred to as jumping genes, transposons are snippets of "selfish DNA" that spread in their host genomes and serve no other biological purpose but their own existence. Two geneticists at the University of California, Riverside, now challenge that understanding. Working on the model plant Arabidopsis, they found that the COPIA-R7 transposon, which has jumped into the plant disease resistance gene RPP7, enhances the immunity of its host against a pathogenic microorganism.Full Story

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University of California, Riverside

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