About half of your DNA isn’t quite human… it’s comprised of transposons and ancient viruses. We study fundamental questions about how transposons replicate and interact with their hosts using the budding yeast Saccharomyces. The yeast Ty1 retrotransposon has a similar life cycle to retroviruses like HIV and assembles a virus-like particle (VLP) in the cell where Ty1 protein maturation and reverse transcription occur. By studying molecular mechanisms utilized in Ty1 replication and how Ty1 is restricted to prevent uncontrolled replication, we seek to both advance our basic understanding of transposons and viruses as well as identify targets for novel therapeutics. Our approach is led by genetics and informed by bioinformatics, using interdisciplinary techniques from biochemistry, cell biology, and genomics.