Learning to protect your genome on the fly.

Levine, Mia T; Malik, Harmit S · Cell · 2011

editorial · Level V

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Abstract

Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) help defend host genomes against germline transposons. In this issue of Cell, Khurana et al. show how alterations in the piRNA-encoding loci within a single generation allow a naive fly genome to overcome the initially insurmountable challenge imposed by a newly encountered mobile element.