transposable element
noun
: a segment of genetic material that is capable of changing its location in the genome or in some bacteria of undergoing transfer between an extrachromosomal plasmid and a chromosome
Examples of transposable element in a Sentence
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For the most part, these ancient viruses are inactive and are not a cause of concern, but in recent years, research has shown that some of the transposable elements may play important roles in human diseases.
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Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
This family of sequences is made up of what’s known as transposable elements (TEs), repetitive DNA sequences that originated from ancient viruses.
—Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2025
And the bobtail squid, which diverged from the California two-spot octopus between 350 million and 250 million years ago, had a chromosome that was an outlier in having more transposable elements than its other chromosomes—possibly the same Z chromosome as the octopus.
—Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2024
In the case of the lungfish, most of the junk seems to be transposable elements; the South American species, which has twice the amount of DNA as its two relatives, also has twice the number of transposable elements.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 14 Aug. 2024
Could eukaryotes’ tendency toward expansion be linked to the transposable elements — the leaping, self-duplicating bits of DNA — that have infested eukaryotic genomes for eons?
—Quanta Magazine, 2 May 2024
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Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
This family of sequences is made up of what’s known as transposable elements (TEs), repetitive DNA sequences that originated from ancient viruses.
—Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2025
And the bobtail squid, which diverged from the California two-spot octopus between 350 million and 250 million years ago, had a chromosome that was an outlier in having more transposable elements than its other chromosomes—possibly the same Z chromosome as the octopus.
—Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2024
In the case of the lungfish, most of the junk seems to be transposable elements; the South American species, which has twice the amount of DNA as its two relatives, also has twice the number of transposable elements.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 14 Aug. 2024
Could eukaryotes’ tendency toward expansion be linked to the transposable elements — the leaping, self-duplicating bits of DNA — that have infested eukaryotic genomes for eons?
—Quanta Magazine, 2 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Transposable element.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transposable%20element. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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