retroposon

R1E1T1R1O1P3O1S1O1N1

noun

A fragment of DNA inserted into a chromosome following reverse transcription from RNA.

Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounretroposon (plural retroposons)

plural retroposons

  1. biologyA fragment of DNA inserted into a chromosome following reverse transcription from RNA.

    The best-known retroposons are “copia” and the families similar to copia, which were discovered in Drosophila but are also found in many other animals and even in yeast and higher plants, and the similarly ubiquitous foldback (FB) element, "THE1" in humans and "VL30" in rats and mice.

    1994, Klaus Urich, Comparative Animal Biochemistry, page 21

Origin

From retropose + -on.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Icelandic víxlstökkull, retróstökkull
  • víxlstökkullfragment of DNA
  • retróstökkullfragment of DNA
Cite this entry
APA

retroposon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retroposon

MLA

“retroposon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retroposon. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “retroposon,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retroposon.

Source: retroposon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.