Human-specific subfamilies of HERV-K (HML-2) long terminal repeats: three master genes were active simultaneously during branching of hominoid lineages

TY - JOUR

T1 - Human-specific subfamilies of HERV-K (HML-2) long terminal repeats

T2 - three master genes were active simultaneously during branching of hominoid lineages

AU - Buzdin, Anton

AU - Ustyugova, Svetlana

AU - Khodosevich, Konstantin

AU - Mamedov, Ilgar

AU - Lebedev, Yuri

AU - Hunsmann, Gerhard

AU - Sverdlov, Eugene

PY - 2003/2

Y1 - 2003/2

N2 - Using 40 known human-specific LTR sequences, we have derived a consensus sequence for an evolutionary young HERV-K (HML-2) LTR family, which was named the HS family. In the human genome the HS family is represented by approximately 150-160 LTR sequences, 90% of them being human-specific (hs). The family can be subdivided into two subfamilies differing in five linked nucleotide substitutions: HS-a and HS-b of 5.8 and 10.3 Myr evolutionary ages, respectively. The HS-b subfamily members were transpositionally active both before the divergence of the human and chimpanzee ancestor lineages and after it in both lineages. The HS-a subfamily comprises only hs LTRs. These and other data strongly suggest that at least three "master genes" of HERV-K (HML-2) LTRs were active in the human ancestor lineage after the human-chimpanzee divergence. We also found hs HERV-K (HML-2) LTRs integrations in introns of 12 human genes and identified 13 new hs HERV-K (HML-2) LTRs.

AB - Using 40 known human-specific LTR sequences, we have derived a consensus sequence for an evolutionary young HERV-K (HML-2) LTR family, which was named the HS family. In the human genome the HS family is represented by approximately 150-160 LTR sequences, 90% of them being human-specific (hs). The family can be subdivided into two subfamilies differing in five linked nucleotide substitutions: HS-a and HS-b of 5.8 and 10.3 Myr evolutionary ages, respectively. The HS-b subfamily members were transpositionally active both before the divergence of the human and chimpanzee ancestor lineages and after it in both lineages. The HS-a subfamily comprises only hs LTRs. These and other data strongly suggest that at least three "master genes" of HERV-K (HML-2) LTRs were active in the human ancestor lineage after the human-chimpanzee divergence. We also found hs HERV-K (HML-2) LTRs integrations in introns of 12 human genes and identified 13 new hs HERV-K (HML-2) LTRs.

KW - Animals

KW - Evolution, Molecular

KW - Haplorhini/genetics

KW - Humans

KW - Introns

KW - Molecular Sequence Data

KW - Multigene Family

KW - Phylogeny

KW - Terminal Repeat Sequences

KW - Viral Proteins/genetics

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 12620392

SN - 0888-7543

VL - 81

SP - 149

EP - 156

JO - Genomics

JF - Genomics

IS - 2

ER -