INEs.)
Essentially, SINEs are genomic parasites and can cause damage to the host genome through insertional mutagenesis or unequal crossover. At the same time, SINE copies can be beneficial for the host as sources of promoters, enhancers, silencers, insulators, and even genes encoding RNAs and proteins; they can underlie alternative splicing and polyadenylation; finally, SINE RNAs can act as trans factors of transcription, translation and mRNA stability (Makalowski, 2000; Ponicsan et al., 2010; Gong and Maquat, 2011).
This review addresses the origin of SINEs and pathways of their evolution. After the introductory section, the problem is considered in two planes: the events in SINE evolution (sections Origin of SINE Families and Further Evolution of SINEs) and the genetic mechanisms that make possible these events (Mechanisms of SINE Evolution). Finally, the problem is considered in a more general context to outline the peculiarities of SINE evolution and their coevolution with LINEs and cells