Transposons Stir in Germline, but Small RNAs Still Them

Transposons threaten genetic chaos during sperm and egg production, when the epigenome effectively drops its guard. Ordinarily, the epigenome carries DNA methylations, chemical markers that inactivate pieces of DNA, whether they are genes or transposons. During sperm and egg production, however, DNA methylations are temporarily erased, leaving the genome vulnerable.Fortunately, reproductive cells have another line of defense—the endosiRNA system. endosiRNA refers to endogenous small interf