Partial nucleotide sequence of the 300-nucleotide interspersed repeated human DNA sequences (original) (raw)

Nature volume 284, pages 372–374 (1980)Cite this article

Abstract

In most eukaryotic genomes, including human, 300-nucleotide repeated DNA sequences are interspersed with longer (∼1,000 nucleotide) single copy sequences1–3. We have recently found that most 300-nucleotide interspersed repeats in human share a common site for cleavage by the restriction enzyme _Alu_I and should be regarded as a single family of sequences4. We designate this as the Alu family of sequences. Similarly, most of the 300-nucleotide inverted repeated sequences, which are also interspersed with single copy DNA, share this same restriction site and belong to the Alu family4. There are approximately 300,000 members of this family of sequences, which together make up at least 3% of the human genome4. It is conceivable that individual members of the Alu family repeats share only very limited regions of homology, one of which happens to contain the restriction site for _Alu_I and others which share the additional restriction sites reported here. In this case, members of the Alu family could be essentially different DNA sequences. DNA renaturation studies support the alternative view that members of the Alu family share extensive homology over the entire sequence length4. According to this view, individual members of the family could exhibit some divergence from the ancestral sequence but all members would be recognised as a closely related group of sequences5. We have distinguished between these alternatives by directly determining the base sequence of a part of the Alu family. This base sequence shows that individual members of the Alu family share a common ancestral nucleotide sequence.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 51 print issues and online access

$199.00 per year

only $3.90 per issue

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Davidson, E. H., Galau, G., Angerer, R. & Britten, R. J. Chromosoma 51, 253–289 (1975).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  2. Schmid, C. W. & Deininger, P. L. Cell 6, 345–358 (1975).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  3. Deininger, P. L. & Schmid, C. W. J. molec. Biol. 106, 773–790 (1976).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  4. Houck, C. M., Rinehart, F. P. & Schmid, C. W. J. molec. Biol. 132, 289–306 (1979).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  5. Deininger, P. L. & Schmid, C. W. J. molec. Biol. 127, 437–460 (1979).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  6. Maxam, A. M. & Gilbert, W. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 560–564 (1977).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  7. Scheller, R. H. et al. Science 196, 197–200 (1977).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  8. Robertson, H. D., Dickson, E. & Jelinek, W. J. molec. Biol. 115, 571–589 (1977).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  9. Jelinek, W. J. molec. Biol. 115, 591–600 (1977).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  10. Jelinek, W. R., Evans, R., Wilson, M., Salditt-Georgieff, M. & Darnell, J. E. Biochemistry 17, 2776–2783 (1978).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  11. Jelinek, W. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 2679–2683 (1978).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  12. Jelinek, W. R. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. (in the press).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, California, 95616
    Carol M. Rubin, Catherine M. Houck & Carl W. Schmid
  2. Department of Pediatrics, M009H, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093
    Prescott L. Deininger & Theodore Friedmann

Authors

  1. Carol M. Rubin
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  2. Catherine M. Houck
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  3. Prescott L. Deininger
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  4. Theodore Friedmann
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  5. Carl W. Schmid
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rubin, C., Houck, C., Deininger, P. et al. Partial nucleotide sequence of the 300-nucleotide interspersed repeated human DNA sequences.Nature 284, 372–374 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/284372a0

Download citation