Retrotransposition of Alu elements: how many sources?

It is generally thought that only a few Alu elements are capable of retrotransposition and that these ‘master’ sources produce inactive copies. Here, we use a network phylogenetic approach to demonstrate that recently integrated human-specific Alu subfamilies typically contain 10–20% of secondary so...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in genetics 2004-10, Vol.20 (10), p.464-467
Main Authors: Cordaux, Richard, Hedges, Dale J., Batzer, Mark A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alu Elements - genetics
Biological and medical sciences
Evolution, Molecular
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genetic Variation
Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution
Genic rearrangement. Recombination. Transposable element
Genome, Human
Humans
Models, Genetic
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular genetics
Phylogeny
Retroelements - genetics
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Summary:It is generally thought that only a few Alu elements are capable of retrotransposition and that these ‘master’ sources produce inactive copies. Here, we use a network phylogenetic approach to demonstrate that recently integrated human-specific Alu subfamilies typically contain 10–20% of secondary source elements that contributed 20–40% of all subfamily members. This multiplicity of source elements provides new insight into the remarkably successful amplification strategy of the Alu family.
ISSN:0168-9525
DOI:10.1016/j.tig.2004.07.012