Question

According to one view, transposable elements are genomic ________ that replicate themselves at the expense of the cell and can even do harm to the cell.

A. Enzymes
B. Chromosomes
C. Parasites
D. Repressors
E. Plasmids

Answer 1

Transposable elements are genomic parasites that replicate themselves at the expense of the cell and can even do harm to the cell. They have the ability to independently excise from one location in a DNA molecule and integrate into the DNA elsewhere through a process called transposition. Transposons can introduce genetic diversity by altering the phenotype of a cell.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to one view, transposable elements are genomic parasites that replicate themselves at the expense of the cell and can even do harm to the cell. They are molecules of DNA that have the ability to independently excise from one location in a DNA molecule and integrate into the DNA elsewhere through a process called transposition. Transposons were discovered in the 1940s and have since been found in all types of organisms, both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and can introduce genetic diversity by altering the phenotype of a cell.