Mourier Tobias, Willerslev Eske
Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Brief Funct Genomic Proteomic. 2009 Nov;8(6):493-501. doi: 10.1093/bfgp/elp036. Epub 2009 Sep 3.
Retrotransposons constitute a significant fraction of mammalian genomes. Considering the finding of widespread transcriptional activity across entire genomes, it is not surprising that retrotransposons contribute to the collective RNA pool. However, the transcriptional output from retrotransposons does not merely represent spurious transcription. We review examples of functional RNAs transcribed from retrotransposons, and address the collection of non-protein coding RNAs derived from transposable element sequences, including numerous human microRNAs and the neuronal BC RNAs. Finally, we review the emerging understanding of how retrotransposons themselves are regulated by small RNAs.
逆转录转座子在哺乳动物基因组中占相当大的比例。鉴于在整个基因组中发现了广泛的转录活性，逆转录转座子对总体RNA库有贡献也就不足为奇了。然而，逆转录转座子的转录产物并非仅仅代表假转录。我们回顾了从逆转录转座子转录的功能性RNA的例子，并讨论了源自转座元件序列的非蛋白质编码RNA的集合，包括众多人类微小RNA和神经元BC RNA。最后，我们回顾了关于逆转录转座子本身如何被小RNA调控的新认识。
