ERC Consolidator Grant · 2018
The evolutionary genetics of transposable element invasions
Transposable elements play major roles in the genome evolution of eukaryotes, and cause harmful mutations, deleterious side effects, and disease. These costs drive their eukaryotic hosts to evolve counter-adaptations, which are so effective that TEs are thought to only survive long term by invading new naïve species. These transposable element invasions appear to occur via horizontal transfer, and can result in the rapid, selfish spread of the element through a species. Despite the evolutionary importance of the host-transposable element relationship, there are still major gaps in our knowledge of how they evolve and persist. Host resistance can evolve astonishingly rapidly, but the…
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