Unlocking the cellular determinants of retrotransposition (2017-2018)

The accumulation of retrotransposons through millions of years of evolution has differentially shaped our human genomes and the genomes of essentially all eukaryotic organisms. Researchers have made significant headway in elucidating mechanisms used by the host to defend the genome against insertional mutagenesis by retrotransposons, but the fundamental cellular machinery and genomic environments required for retrotransposition remain largely undefined. This project aims to use both tumours and ENCODE cell lines as models to generate verifiable insights into retrotransposon biology given their widely variable activity across tumours coupled with high rates of mutation and transcriptional derangement not seen in typical somatic tissues.