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UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST
FACULTY OF PHYSICS Guest
2024-11-23 11:54 |
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Conference: Bucharest University Faculty of Physics 2008 Meeting
Section: Electricity and Biophysics
Title:
On the enigmatic ”junk DNA”
Authors:
Aurel I. Popescu, Doina M. Gazdaru, Claudia G. Chilom
Affiliation:
Research Centre in Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, Department of Electricity and Biophysics, University of Bucharest
E-mail
aurel.popescu.46@gmail.com
Keywords:
Human genome,junk/non-coding DNA,transcription genes,optimal design principle
Abstract:
Just after the deciphering of the human genome the researchers were surprised of the small number of human transcription genes (about 24,000 as compared with the 100,000 estimated from the whole cellular DNA quantity). Indeed, the genes that are able to be transcribed into mRNA and then translated into proteins are representing, in the case of human genome, only 2 % of DNA cellular content! The remainder of 98 % DNA was considered as a burden of the genome and consequently named “junk DNA”, thus being considered a useless DNA. According to the Optimal Design Principle, that imply a great parsimony in using resources (i.e., substances and energy), this “junk DNA” would be sooner or later eliminated during life evolution. But it is not the case, because about 500 DNA regions from the junk DNA (pertaining to man but also to mouse and rat) are preserved during the evolution. Moreover the regions of human genome largely match up with those of fish. Since the fishes and human beings shared a common ancestor, this implies that the conserved DNA regions are essential to the descendents of these species. The last discoveries have shed a new light on this still enigmatic non-coding DNA (i.e., junk DNA), demonstrating its deep implications in many and very intricate cellular processes (e.g., gene regulation, enhancing transcription of proximal genes, regulation of protein translation, buffering against harmful mutations or genetic damages, etc.).
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