Revising the selfish DNA hypothesis: new evidence on accumulation of transposable elements in heterochromatin

The bulk of the eukaryotic genome is composed of families of repetitive sequences that are genetically silent and exhibit various types of instability. Transposable elements (TEs) are particularly common in heterochromatic regions of the genome - a location where TEs might do less damage to their host. Recent advances suggest that the relationship between TEs and heterochromatin might not be quite so straightforward.