title: A gene expression restriction network mediated by sense and antisense Alu sequences located on protein-coding messenger RNAs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alus are primate-specific retrotransposons which account for 10.6% of the human genome. A large number of protein-coding mRNAs are encoded with sense or antisense Alus in the un-translated regions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We postulated that mRNAs carrying Alus in the two opposite directions can generate double stranded RNAs, capable of regulating the levels of other Alu-carrying mRNAs post-transcriptionally. A gene expression profiling assay showed that the levels of antisense and sense Alus-carrying mRNAs were suppressed in a reversible manner by over-expression of exogenous sense and antisense Alus derived from mRNAs (Family-wise error rate P=0.0483 and P<0.0001 respectively). Screening through human mRNAs on the NCBI-RefSeq database, it was found that sense and antisense Alu-carrying transcripts were enriched in distinct cellular functions. Antisense Alu-carrying genes were particularly enriched in neurological and developmental processes, while sense Alu-carrying genes were enriched in immunological functions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, we proposed a novel Alu-mediated regulation network capable of stabilizing Alu-carrying mRNA levels in different cell types and restricting the activated expression levels of protein-coding, Alu-carrying mRNAs.
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, and Molecular Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kung-Hao
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Chau-Ting
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Yeh
mesh_terms: D020087:Alu Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D016373:DNA, Antisense / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D016373:DNA, Antisense; D012333:RNA, Messenger