| Citation | Transposable elements (TEs) comprise the largest fraction of the genomes of higher eukaryotes. Susan Wessler’s studies have provided the most comprehensive picture of how TEs contribute to genome evolution and how they can attain high copy number without killing their host. She exploited the isolation of the maize waxy gene and its mutant alleles to identify active elements and document their impact on gene expression. In the genomics era she pioneered the computational analysis of TEs, culminating in the discovery of MITEs, the TE most frequently associated with plant genes and mPing, the first actively transposing MITE to be isolated. |