PCR Typing of Alu Elements — Molecular Genetics and Forensic Application

Alu repeats belong to the family of short interspersed elements (SINEs) and are among the most abundant repetitive DNA sequences in the mammalian genome. They represent mobile genetic elements ancestrally derived from the 7SL RNA gene and have presumably spread within the genome by retroposition (reviewed in [1]). A particular group of Alu repeats appears to be human-specific (HS subfamily) and has expanded only recently within the human genome as indicated by distinct dimorphisms at various loci due to the presence or absence of an Alu repeat. In recent extensive studies, the frequency distributions of Alu insertions at selected loci in various human racial groups and populations were dete…