Daniel C, Behm M, Öhman M. The role of Alu elements in the cis-regulation of RNA processing.
Cell Mol Life Sci 2015;
72:4063-76. [PMID:
26223268 PMCID:
PMC11113721 DOI:
10.1007/s00018-015-1990-3]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2015] [Revised: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The human genome is under constant invasion by retrotransposable elements. The most successful of these are the Alu elements; with a copy number of over a million, they occupy about 10 % of the entire genome. Interestingly, the vast majority of these Alu insertions are located in gene-rich regions, and one-third of all human genes contains an Alu insertion. Alu sequences are often embedded in gene sequence encoding pre-mRNAs and mature mRNAs, usually as part of their intron or UTRs. Once transcribed, they can regulate gene expression as well as increase the number of RNA isoforms expressed in a tissue or a species. They also regulate the function of other RNAs, like microRNAs, circular RNAs, and potentially long non-coding RNAs. Mechanistically, Alu elements exert their effects by influencing diverse processes, such as RNA editing, exonization, and RNA processing. In so doing, they have undoubtedly had a profound effect on human evolution.
Collapse