A “JUMPING GENE” being used to genetically engineer organisms has crossed the
species barrier at least seven times in evolutionary history, in one instance
between flies and humans, according to a study commissioned by the British
government. If organisms modified using this mobile element are released, there
will be a risk of genes spreading to other species, the report says.
The so-called mariner element can move around in the genome of individual
species thanks to the transposase enzyme it encodes, which “cuts and pastes” it
from one place in a cell’s DNA to another. Such jumping genes litter most
creatures’…
