Final answer:
Transposons have direct repeats, and while the length of the repeats may vary, the sequence remains constant for a specific transposon.
Step-by-step explanation:
In genetics, transposons are DNA sequences that can move or jump within a genome. When transposons move, they can cause changes in the DNA sequence. One characteristic of transposons is that they have direct repeats, which are identical sequences that flank the transposon at its insertion site.
While the length of the direct repeats may vary between transpositions, the sequence remains constant for a particular transposon. This means that even though the length of the direct repeats may be different, the sequence of the repeats themselves is the same for a specific transposon.
For example, let's say a transposon has a direct repeat of 5'GAAGT3' at its insertion site. In one instance, the transposon may have a length of 10 base pairs with the direct repeat being 5'GAAGT3GAAGT3'. In another instance, the transposon may have a length of 8 base pairs with the direct repeat being 5'GAAGT3GAAGT'. Despite the difference in length, the sequence of the direct repeat ('GAAGT') remains the same.