Jurka J, Smith T
Bionet, Mountain View, CA 94040.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Jul;85(13):4775-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.13.4775.
The Alu family of repeated sequences from the human genome contains two distinct subfamilies. This division is based on different base preferences in a number of diagnostic sequence positions. One subfamily of the sequences, referred to as the Alu-J subfamily, is very similar to 7SL DNA in these positions. The other subfamily, Alu-S, can be divided further into well-defined branches of sequences. These findings revise the previous picture of the Alu family and expose their complex evolutionary dynamics. They reveal sequence variations of potential importance for the proliferation of Alu repeats and relate them to their structural features. In addition, they open the possibility of using different types of Alu sequences as natural markers for studying genetic rearrangements in the genome.
人类基因组中的Alu重复序列家族包含两个不同的亚家族。这种划分是基于在一些诊断性序列位置上不同的碱基偏好。其中一个序列亚家族,称为Alu-J亚家族,在这些位置上与7SL DNA非常相似。另一个亚家族Alu-S可以进一步分为明确的序列分支。这些发现修正了之前关于Alu家族的认识,并揭示了它们复杂的进化动态。它们揭示了对于Alu重复序列增殖具有潜在重要性的序列变异,并将其与结构特征联系起来。此外,它们开启了使用不同类型的Alu序列作为天然标记来研究基因组中基因重排的可能性。