Ancient exapted transposable elements promote nuclear enrichment of human long noncoding RNAs.

ABSTRACT: The sequence domains underlying long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) activities, including their characteristic nuclear enrichment, remain largely unknown. It has been proposed that these domains can originate from neofunctionalized fragments of transposable elements (TEs), otherwise known as RIDLs (repeat insertion domains of lncRNA), although just a handful have been identified. It is challenging to distinguish functional RIDL instances against a numerous genomic background of neutrally evolving TEs. We here show evidence that a subset of TE types experience evolutionary selection in the context of lncRNA exons. Together these comprise an enrichment group of 5374 TE fragments in 3566 loci. Their host lncRNAs tend to be functionally validated and associated with disease. This RIDL group was used t

SUBMITTER: Carlevaro-Fita J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6360812 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature