what is the purpose of the Alu element
An Alu element is a short stretch of DNA originally characterized by the action of the Alu (Arthrobacter luteus) restriction endonuclease. Alu elements of different kinds occur in large numbers in primate genomes.In fact, Alu elements are the most abundant transposable elements in the human genome.They are derived from the small cytoplasmic 7SL RNA, a component of the signal recognition particle.here are over one million Alu elements interspersed throughout the human genome, and it is estimated that about 10.7% of the human genome consists of Alu sequences. However, less than 0.5% are polymorphic (i.e. they occur in more than one form or morph).
Indeed, part of what makes Alu elements so important is that they are found in nearly every human (and other primate) gene. These elements are spread throughout the genome and occur at varying densities in different loci.xonization is the creation of a new exon from an Alu-containing (or any TE-containing) intron. (i.e., they are spliced out) . The process of exonization is illustrated in Figure 1. First, the Alu TE is inserted into an intron of a gene.