of LINEs can lead to expression changes of nearby genes and even to phenotypic changes: In the oil palm genome, methylation of a Karma-type LINE underlies the somaclonal, 'mantled' variant of this plant, responsible for drastic yield loss. Human APOBEC3C mediated restriction of LINE-1 elements were reported and it is due to the interaction between A3C with the ORF1p that affects the reverse transcriptase activity. Association with disease A historic example of L1-conferred disease is Haemophilia A, which is caused by insertional mutagenesis. There are nearly 100 examples of known diseases caused by retroelement insertions, including some types of cancer and neurological disorders. Correlation between L1 mobilization and oncogenesis has been reported for epithelial cell cancer (carcinoma). Hypomethylation of LINES is associated with chromosomal instability and altered gene expression and is found in various cancer cell types in various tissues types. Hypomethylation of a specific L1 located in the MET onco gene is associated with bladder cancer tumorogenesis, Shift work sleep disorder is associated with increased cancer risk because light exposure at night reduces melatonin, a hormone that has been shown to reduce L1-induced genome instability. References Mobile genetic elements Molecular biology