Research demonstrates the role of retrotransposons in embryonic brain growth, implying new regulatory pathways.
Transposable elements can drive genetic innovation. In this issue of Cell Genomics, Adami et al.1 investigate the impact of hominoid-specific L1 retrotransposons on early embryonic and brain development. Using induced pluripotent stem cells and cerebral organoid models, multi-omics, and CRISPRi-mediated silencing, they uncover a cis-regulatory role for these young retrotransposons in early human brain development.
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Okorokova et al. (2025) studied this question.
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