Final answer:
The transposition of eukaryotic transposons enables exon shuffling, facilitating the recombination of genetic material and contributing to genetic diversity and evolutionary innovation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The transposition of eukaryotic transposable elements, also known as transposons or "jumping genes," facilitates the recombination of genes or regulatory sequences by a process called transposition. This mechanism can lead to exon shuffling, where exons can be transferred in and out of different genes, possibly creating new gene combinations with novel functions. Such shuffling has evolutionary significance as it increases genetic diversity and has the potential to produce new protein domains and activities.
Transposons have been discovered in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms and can excise from one location in a DNA molecule and integrate elsewhere, doing so independently. This 'cut-and-paste' or 'copy-and-paste' method enables transposons to alter gene function by activating or deactivating genes, thereby contributing to the genetic variation observed within populations. Examples such as the insertion of exon-encoded domains of epidermal growth factor (EGF) into several unrelated genes demonstrate transposon-mediated exon shuffling.