Retrotransposons (RTs) are the most abundant class of the transposable elements that comprise ap/proximately 45% of the human genomic sequence, of which Alu repeats (Alus) are the most abundant and comprise 11% of the genomic sequence. Alus, named after the internal AluI restriction site found in these repeats, belong to the short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs), which are non-autonomous RTs.
Our researchers have discovered that following a viral infection, transcribed Alu RNAs are expressed in human tissues and that these Alu RNAs can induce a sustained IFN-mediated inflammatory response, which can be pathological. Thus, sustained increased levels of Alu RNA can be considered a biomarker for infections, autoimmune disease, preeclampsia, aging, neurological disease, and cancers. The researchers have developed a competitive RT-PCR method to measure Alu RNA.
Showcases the results of our innovative AluQuant assay, with a representative agarose gel image demonstrating the Alu and GAPDH RT-PCR products, as well as the control Alu PCR products using total RNA. Densitometric quantification of the fl-Alu to sc-Alu ratio, normalized to GAPDH, provides crucial insights into the differential expression levels of Alu RNA under steady-state conditions (HeLa at 37°C) and upon heat shock exposure, validating the effectiveness of our competitive RT-PCR approach.