question: Are Alu elements transcribed?
answer: A significant percentage of the more than 1 million copies of Alu elements was shown to be transrcribed. Free Alu RNAs are known to be transcribed by Pol III from their own promoter. On the other hand, embedded Alu RNAs are transcribed by Pol II as part of protein- and non-protein-coding RNAs. Recent studies have demonstrated that both free and embedded Alu RNAs play a major role in post transcriptional regulation of gene expression.