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Retrotransposons are genetic elements that 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. In maize, 49-78% of the genome is made up of retrotransposons[1]. In wheat, about 90% of the genome consists of repeated sequences and 68% of transposable elements[2]. In mammals, almost half the genome (45% to 48%) comprises transposons or remnants of transposons. Around 42% of the human genome is made up of retrotransposons while DNA transposons account for about 2-3%[3]. This translates to millions of elements, so that on average, every gene in our genome contains around 3 retrotransposons.