A genetic element that transposes to a new location in DNA by first making an RNA copy of itself, then making a DNA copy of this RNA with a reverse transcriptase, and then inserting the DNA copy into the target DNA.

A transposon (mobile DNA segment) that was created by reverse transcription of an RNA molecule.

A genome-wide repeat with a sequence similar to an integrated retroviral genome and possibly with retrotransposition activity.

A transposable element that utilizes reverse transcriptase to transpose through an RNA intermediate.

Type of eukaryotic mobile DNA element whose movement in the genome is mediated by an RNA intermediate and involves a reverse transcription step. See also transposon.

Retrotransposons are genetic elements than can amplify themselves in a genome and are ubiquitous components of the DNA of many eukaryotic organisms. They are a subclass of transposon. They are particularly abundant in plants, where they are often a principal component of nuclear DNA.