TitleUbiquitous mammalian-wide interspersed repeats (MIRs) are molecular fossils from the mesozoic era.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1995
AuthorsJurka J, Zietkiewicz E, Labuda D
JournalNucleic Acids Res
Volume23
Issue1
Pagination170-5
Date Published1995 Jan 11
ISSN0305-1048
KeywordsAnimals, Base Sequence, Biological Evolution, Consensus Sequence, DNA, DNA Primers, Genome, Genome, Human, Humans, Mammals, Molecular Sequence Data, Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid, Sequence Alignment, Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Abstract

Short interspersed elements (SINEs) are ubiquitous in mammalian genomes. Remarkable variety of these repeats among placental orders indicates that most of them amplified in each lineage independently, following mammalian radiation. Here, we present an ancient family of repeats, whose sequence divergence and common occurrence among placental mammals, marsupials and monotremes indicate their amplification during the Mesozoic era. They are called MIRs for abundant Mammalian-wide Interspersed Repeats. With approximately 120,000 copies still detectable in the human genome (0.2-0.3% DNA), MIRs represent a 'fossilized' record of a major genetic event preceding the radiation of placental orders.
DOI10.1093/nar/23.1.170
Alternate JournalNucleic Acids Res.
PubMed ID7870583
PubMed Central IDPMC306646