Abstract 2298 Characterizing transposable element variants and their expression in inflammatory disease

Transposable elements (TEs) comprise more than half of the mammalian genome. TEs remain mostly dormant but can contribute to gene regulation and their expression is activated during specific biological processes such as development or during disease states. The relative location of TEs varies between individuals and contributes significantly to their genetic and phenotypic diversity. The repetitive nature of TE sequences has posed a challenge to accurately characterizing them by conventional short-read sequencing.