Similar integration but different stability of Alus and LINEs in the human genome

0191288 - UMG-J 20010358 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Pavlíček, Adam - Jabbari, K. - Pačes, Jan - Pačes, Václav - Hejnar, Jiří - Bernardi, G.
Similar integration but different stability of Alus and LINEs in the human genome.
Gene. Roč. 276, 1-2 (2001), s. 39-45. ISSN 0378-1119. E-ISSN 1879-0038
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT LN00A079; GA ČR GA204/01/0632
Keywords : retrotransposon * GC content * Alu
Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology
Impact factor: 3.041, year: 2001

The discovery that LINES and Alus share similar target site duplication and a common AT-rich insertion site specificity raised the question as to why these two families of repeats show such a different distribution in the genome. Young Alus are more frequent in the GC-poor part of the genome than old Alus. This suggests that the gradual accumulation of Alus in GC-rich isochores has occurred because of their higher stability in compositionally matching chromosomal regions. Densities of Alus and LINEs increase and decrease, respectively, with increasing GC levels, except for the telomeric regions of the analyzed chromosomes. In addition to LINEs, processed pseudogenes are also more frequent in GC-poor isochores. Finally, the present results on Alu and LINE stability/exclusion predict significant losses of Alu DNA from the GC-poor isochores during evolution.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0087043