Mobile genetic elements

Mobile genetic elements (MGE) are a type of DNA that can move around within the genome. They include:
Transposons (also called transposable elements)
Retrotransposons
DNA transposons
Integrons
Insertion sequences
Plasmids
Bacteriophage elements, like Mu which integrates randomly into the genome
Group II introns
The total of all mobile genetic elements in a genome may be referred to as the mobilome.

Barbara McClintock was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for her discovery of mobile genetic elements".

Related pages
 Horizontal gene transfer

References

Miller W.J. and Capy P. (eds) 2004. Mobile genetic elements : protocols and genomic applications. Humana Press. 
Shapiro J.A. (ed) 1983. Mobile genetic elements. Academic Press. 

Category:DNA