Transposable elements are widely distributed in eukaryotes. Due to its high copy numbers, high forward mutation rate and preferential insertion into low-copy DNA sequences, among others, the Mutator system has been widely used as a mutagen in genomic research. The discovery, classification, transposition specificity and epige-netic regulation of Mutator transposons were described. The application of Mutator tagging in plant genomic research was also presented. The role of Mu-like elements in genome evolution was briefly depicted. Moreover, the direction of Mutator transposon research in the future was discussed.