Genomic features underlie the co-option of SVA transposons as cis-regulatory elements in human pluripotent stem cells.

ABSTRACT: Domestication of transposable elements (TEs) into functional cis-regulatory elements is a widespread phenomenon. However, the mechanisms behind why some TEs are co-opted as functional enhancers while others are not are underappreciated. SINE-VNTR-Alus (SVAs) are the youngest group of transposons in the human genome, where ~3,700 copies are annotated, nearly half of which are human-specific. Many studies indicate that SVAs are among the most frequently co-opted TEs in human gene regulation, but the mechanisms underlying such processes have not yet been thoroughly investigated. Here, we leveraged CRISPR-interference (CRISPRi), computational and functional genomics to elucidate the genomic features that underlie SVA domestication into human stem-cell gene regulation. We found that ~750 SVAs a

SUBMITTER: Barnada SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9239442 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature