LTR retrotransposons contribute to genomic gigantism in plethodontid salamanders

Among vertebrates, most of the largest genomes are found within the salamanders, a clade of amphibians that includes 613 species. To date, the molecular mechanisms driving genomic expansion in this clade remain largely unknown. Here, we used high-throughput 454 sequencing to generate genomic shotgun data for six species from the Plethodontidae, the largest family of salamanders, based on which we explored the transposable element landscape of salamanders.