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Highly Accessed Review

Alu elements: know the SINEs

Prescott Deininger

Author Affiliations

Tulane Cancer Center, SL66, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA

Genome Biology 2011, 12:236 doi:10.1186/gb-2011-12-12-236

Published: 28 December 2011

Abstract

Alu elements are primate-specific repeats and comprise 11% of the human genome. They have wide-ranging influences on gene expression. Their contribution to genome evolution, gene regulation and disease is reviewed.

Keywords:
Alu; diversity; evolution; gene expression; genetic instability; mutagenesis; retroelements; transposition