Expressed retrotransposed 5S rRNA genes in the mouse and rat genomes

The analyses of previously described 5S rRNA gene sequences show that some of the expressed 5S rRNA genes present in the mouse and rat genomes were derived from the retrotransposition of 5S rRNA transcripts. These analyses demonstrate that new 5S rRNA gene copies can originate by retrotransposition and that some of these retrotranscribed genes are expressed.