Transposable genetic elements are ubiquitous, yet their presence or absence at any given position within a
genome can vary between individual cells, tissues, or strains. Transposable elements have profound impacts on host genomes by altering gene expression, assisting in
genomic rearrangements, causing insertional mutations, and serving as sources of phenotypic variation. Characterizing a genome''s full complement of
transposons requires whole genome sequencing, precluding simple studies of the impact of transposition on interindividual variation. Here, we describe a global
mapping approach for identifying
Transposon locations in any genome, using a combination of transposon-specific DNA extraction and microarray-based comparative hybridization analysis. We use this approach to map the repertoire of endogenous transposons in different laboratory strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and demonstrate that transposons are a source of extensive genomic variation. We also apply this method to mapping bacterial transposon insertion sites in a yeast genomic library. This unique whole genome view of transposon
location will facilitate our exploration of transposon dynamics, as well as defining bases for individual differences and adaptive potential.
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