TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENTS AS INTRONS - EVOLUTIONARY CONNECTIONS

Recent molecular genetic studies demonstrate that many transposable el ements, when inserted into nuclear genes, can behave as introns and cr eate novel intron processing patterns. These studies point to possible mechanisms by which transposable element insertions participate in th e evolutionary diversification of gene structure, the rise of alternat ive splicing patterns and the production of novel regulatory interacti ons. Moreover, they provide us with fresh insights into the evolutiona ry dynamics of these mobile sequences.