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Transposable genetic elements and plasmid evolution

Nature volume 263, pages 731–734 (1976)Cite this article

Abstract

Transposable elements of DNA that are structurally defined and genetically discrete units seem to have an important role in the evolution of bacterial plasmids. Recombination occurring at the termini of such elements can result in the joining together of unrelated DNA segments that lack extensive nucleotide sequence homology. In addition, transposable elements serve as novel biological switches capable of turning on and off the expression of nearby genes as a consequence of their insertion into or excision from plasmid genomes.

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  1. Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305

    Stanley N. Cohen

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Cohen, S. Transposable genetic elements and plasmid evolution. Nature 263, 731–734 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/263731a0

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