Junk DNA News and Research

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In genetics, "junk DNA" or noncoding DNA describes components of an organism's DNA sequences that do not encode for protein sequences.

Machine Learning Reveals Cancer-Causing DNA Repeats

It has been difficult to identify and characterize repeats of DNA sequences, also known as “junk DNA” or “dark matter,” that are found in chromosomes and may be involved in cancer or other diseases.

14 Mar 2024

Retrotransposon-Based PRINT Technique Holds Potential for Precise Gene Insertion

The recent approval of a CRISPR-Cas9 therapy for sickle cell disease demonstrates that gene editing tools can do a superb job knocking out genes to cure hereditary disease.

22 Feb 2024

Structural Insights Unmask Novel Adaptations and Functions of Human LINE-1 ORF2

Martin Taylor, MD, PhD, a physician investigator in the Department of Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor in Pathology at Harvard Medical School, is the lead corresponding author of a new study in Nature, Structural Analysis and Inhibition of Human LINE-1 ORF2 Protein Reveals Novel Adaptations and Functions.

20 Dec 2023

Wilmot Researchers Uncover a "Genomic Tug of War" That Influences Decitabine's Effectiveness

Some patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, like acute myeloid leukemia, benefit from a chemotherapy drug called decitabine that stunts cancer growth. But many others are resistant to decatibine's effects or become resistant over time.

17 Nov 2023

Highly Tissue-Specific lincRNA Markers Could Indicate the Presence of Disease

Our genetic code includes over 15,000 specific sections that can be made into molecules called lincRNAs.

27 Apr 2023

Scientists discover mechanism behind how plants can develop long-term immunity to stress

A mechanism behind how plants can develop long-term immunity to stress has been discovered by scientists at the University of Sheffield.

8 Mar 2023

New model describes the enormous range of DNA in nature

Why neutral sequences, frequently referred to as “junk DNA,” are not removed from the genomes of living things in nature and persist there even millions of years later is a scientific mystery that could have a possible answer according to a new model created at Tel Aviv University.

23 Feb 2023

Molecular staple: The DNA repair mechanism impeding cancer treatment

Due to the continuous cellular activity, malfunctions frequently occur, making error-correcting systems crucial for cells. However, it serves the cancer cells’ best interests to cause errors when it comes to destroying them.

30 Jan 2023

“Junk” DNA could provide access to innovative treatments for neurological conditions

The breakthrough study from the University of Sheffield’s Neuroscience Institute and Healthy Lifespan Institute offers critical new insights into the so-called junk DNA, or DNA that was previously believed to be unimportant to the coding of the genome, and how it affects neurological disorders like Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and Alzheimer’s.

29 Sep 2022

Researchers discover potential ways to comprehend DNA replication

Non-coding DNA, also known as “junk DNA,” has been discovered to be anything but harmless and inactive and may even play a role in the onset of cancer.

22 Jul 2022

Noncoding DNA mutations prevent the brain from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

When a condition is connected to a genetic mutation, it is generally negative news.

4 Apr 2022

Researchers develop new method to detect the role of enigmatic gene sequences

Karolinska Institute researchers have recently developed new high-precision techniques for determining the role of these noncoding sequences.

7 Mar 2022

Junk DNA' plays a crucial role in early embryonic development in all mammals, study shows

Nearly half of our DNA has been written off as junk, the discards of evolution: sidelined or broken genes, viruses that got stuck in our genome and were dismembered or silenced, none of it relevant to the human organism or human evolution.

19 Oct 2021

Regulatory network impacting brain evolution found in “junk DNA,” says study

Human DNA has a close resemblance to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is the closest living relative of humans.

13 Oct 2021

Decoding the large and complex onion genome

"In this study, we challenged the limits of how far we can go in deciphering a DNA sequence consisting of 16 billion base pairs," said paper author Masayoshi Shigyo, professor in the Laboratory of Vegetable Crop Science, Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, and researcher at the National Institutes of Natural Sciences.

8 Oct 2021

Viruses buried in marsupials' DNA may help protect against future infections

Fossils of ancient viruses are preserved in the genomes of all animals, including humans, and have long been regarded as junk DNA. But are they truly junk, or do they actually serve a useful purpose?

From The University of New South Wales (UNSW) 9 Sep 2021

Study sheds light on the reproductive role of 'dark matter' DNA

Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University have shed light on the reproductive role of 'dark matter' DNA - non-coding DNA sequences that previously seemed to have no function.

19 Jun 2020