Salamander gonad RNA and small RNA sequencing

Salamanders have some of the largest genomes among vertebrates. Their high volumes of DNA are primarily composed of transposable elements, which are sequences capable of moving and proliferating throughout genomes and causing mutations. These "selfish" sequences are silenced in animals by a pathway involving small RNA molecules called piRNAs. This experiment was performed to test whether salamanders have lost the capacity to regulate their transposable elements via the piRNA pathway.