More “Functional” DNA In Genome Than Previously Thought

Surrounding the small islands of genes within the human genome is a vast sea of mysterious DNA. While most of this non coding DNA is junk, some of it is used to help genes turn on and off. As reported online this week in Genome Research, Hopkins researchers have now found that this latter portion, which is known as regulatory DNA and contributes to inherited diseases like Parkinson’s or mental disorders, may be more abundant than we realize. [click link for full article]

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Filed under: Biology on December 15th, 2007