Transposable elements can cause deletions in genomes when
A)they transpose into a new site.
B)a non-autonomous transposon is activated by an autonomous transposon.
C)they are transcribed.
D)PiWi RNAs inhibit the transcription of the transposon.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Transposable elements can cause deletions in genomes when they transpose into a new site. This is because transposition can lead to the excision of a fragment of DNA from the original site, which may result in a gap or deletion in the genome.

Option B is incorrect because the activation of non-autonomous transposons by autonomous transposons results in the insertion of new copies of the transposon, rather than deletions.

Option C is incorrect because transcription alone does not lead to deletions in the genome.

Option D is incorrect because PiWi RNAs are involved in regulating the activity of transposable elements, but they do not directly cause deletions in the genome.

Transposable Elements Can Cause Deletions in Genomes When