{"title":"Investigating the Potential Roles of SINEs in the Human Genome.","authors":"Xiao-Ou Zhang, Henry Pratt, Zhiping Weng","doi":"10.1146/annurev-genom-111620-100736","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are nonautonomous retrotransposons that occupy approximately 13% of the human genome. They are transcribed by RNA polymerase III and can be retrotranscribed and inserted back into the genome with the help of other autonomous retroelements. Because they are preferentially located close to or within gene-rich regions, they can regulate gene expression by various mechanisms that act at both the DNA and the RNA levels. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the involvement of SINEs in different types of gene regulation and discuss the potential regulatory functions of SINEs that are in close proximity to genes, Pol III-transcribed SINE RNAs, and embedded SINE sequences within Pol II-transcribed genes in the human genome. These discoveries illustrate how the human genome has exapted some SINEs into functional regulatory elements.</p>","PeriodicalId":8231,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of genomics and human genetics","volume":"22 ","pages":"199-218"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7000,"publicationDate":"2021-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"14","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Annual review of genomics and human genetics","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-genom-111620-100736","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2021/4/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GENETICS & HEREDITY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 14
Abstract
Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are nonautonomous retrotransposons that occupy approximately 13% of the human genome. They are transcribed by RNA polymerase III and can be retrotranscribed and inserted back into the genome with the help of other autonomous retroelements. Because they are preferentially located close to or within gene-rich regions, they can regulate gene expression by various mechanisms that act at both the DNA and the RNA levels. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the involvement of SINEs in different types of gene regulation and discuss the potential regulatory functions of SINEs that are in close proximity to genes, Pol III-transcribed SINE RNAs, and embedded SINE sequences within Pol II-transcribed genes in the human genome. These discoveries illustrate how the human genome has exapted some SINEs into functional regulatory elements.
期刊介绍:
Since its inception in 2000, the Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics has been dedicated to showcasing significant developments in genomics as they pertain to human genetics and the human genome. The journal emphasizes genomic technology, genome structure and function, genetic modification, human variation and population genetics, human evolution, and various aspects of human genetic diseases, including individualized medicine.