Transposable elements generate regulatory novelty in a tissue-specific fashion.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Transposable elements (TE) are an important source of evolutionary novelty in gene regulation. However, the mechanisms by which TEs contribute to gene expression are largely uncharacterized.

Results

Here, we leverage Roadmap and GTEx data to investigate the association of TEs with active and repressed chromatin in 24 tissues. We find 112 human TE families enriched in active regions of the genome across tissues. Short Interspersed Nuclear Elements (SINEs) and DNA transposons are the most frequently enriched classes, while Long Terminal Repeat Retrotransposons (LTRs) are often enriched in a tissue-specific manner. We report across-tissue variability in TE enrichment in active regions. Genes with consistent expression across tissues are less likely to be associated w

SUBMITTER: Trizzino M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6006921 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature