Navigation Links
Unexpressed But Indispensable -- The DNA Sequences That Control Development

Amidst the hoopla over the exact number of genes we have in our genome—more than a fruitfly, fewer than a rice plant—a more fundamental genetic truth has often been obscured. The expression of 20,000?0,000 genes is under the control of an uncounted host of non-coding sequences, which bind transcription factors and thereby regulate when and where genes are expressed. Unlike coding sequences, whose signatures are easy to spot, the characteristic features of non-coding regulatory elements are largely unknown, making their discovery by simple sequence analysis difficult. In this issue, Greg Elgar and colleagues attack this problem by comparing the non-coding sequences of the human and the pufferfish.

Since the last common ancestor of these two species existed 450 million years ago, the authors reasoned that non-coding sequences conserved between them are likely to be fundamental to vertebrate development. Through sequence alignment with increasingly strict criteria, they identified 1,373 highly conserved non-coding elements (CNEs), with an average length of about 200 base pairs. The average sequence match is 84%: not perfect, but much higher than for coding regions shared by humans and pufferfish. A quick check showed that virtually all the sequences also occurred in rodents, chickens, and zebrafish, but not in the nematode, fruitfly, or even the sea squirt, a primitive non-vertebrate chordate.

CNEs are not spread uniformly throughout the genome. Instead, they are bunched together in fewer than 200 clusters, most of them in close proximity to genes implicated in transcriptional regulation or development. This clustering of CNEs suggests they may not only attract transcription factors, but may also influence the local topology of the DNA, thereby controlling access to their associated gene. Several clusters also appear in regions without any known genes—the identification of these clusters might lead to the discovery of new developmentally significant gene
'"/>

Source:PLoS


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. UCSD Discovery Shows How Embryonic Stem Cells Perform Quality Control Inspections
2. Controlling protein diversity
3. Stealth Worms May Improve Insect Pest Control
4. Controlling wildlife trade key to preventing health crises, study says
5. Control measures fail to stop spread of new H5N1 virus
6. Controlling antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in hospitals
Post Your Comments:
(Date:5/21/2013)... shape is an uphill battle? Try staying fit in ... withers muscle and bone. , That,s the challenge a ... a new three-year, $1.2 million grant from NASA. Their ... multiyear exploratory missions. , "You could give astronauts the ... get them to stick to it, it isn,t going ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... of insulin action in cells in precise detail like ... what goes wrong in diabetes. , The breakthrough ... from Sydney,s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, is now ... journal Cell Metabolism . , First discovered in ... in the body because it helps us lower blood ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... 20, 2013) University of Minnesota Medical School researchers ... partnership with the University,s Brain Tumor Program, have developed ... tumors (MPNST) that allow them to discover new genes ... The research was published this week in the journal ... transposon method, researchers in the lab of David Largaespada, ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Fueling fitness on the final frontier 2Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells 2Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells 3U of M researchers develop model for better testing, targeting of MPNST 2
... Harvard Medical School have found that a common cancer protein ... cells: It helps regulates memory formation and may be implicated ... that drives many types of solid tumors and blood cancers. ... the first revelation that cyclin E has a crucial role ...
... of the genes that support life in extreme environments, researchers ... has been awarded from the National Science Foundation, or NSF, ... heteroclitus , a species known to have evolved extremely high ... led by LSU Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Andrew Whitehead, ...
... the unsuspecting bug for a tasty snack, but in an ... larvae are able to lure their amphibious would-be predators and ... today in the online journal PLoS ONE , researchers ... off this feat. According to the researchers, larvae of ...
Cached Biology News:Cancer protein's surprising role as memory regulator 2Louisiana State University leads collaborative effort to identify genes supporting life in extreme conditions 2
(Date:5/21/2013)... WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. , May 21, ... Inc. (NYSE: FCN ), the global ... and enhance their enterprise value (the "Company"), announced ... sciences focused personnel that were formerly included within ... Forensic and Litigation Consulting segment to form a ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... 2013 Custom Learning Designs, Inc.(CLD) ... solution using Tin Can API combined with its ... is a leading developer of training content and ... worldwide. , Tin Can API is a ... and trainers more accurately measure the Return on ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... a new study led by George Washington University ... nucleation of ice in small droplets is strongly ... at the nanoscale. The formation of ice at ... question whose answer also has important implications for ... crystallization of ice from supercooled water is generally ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... 2013 The congress of the ... is the biggest congress in Europe ... participants are in Istanbul to ... New pioneering studies have been presented: / ... ADMINISTERED VIA HEMODIALYSATE REDUCES ESA USE" By ...
Breaking Biology Technology:FTI Consulting Releases Realigned Segment Information Reflecting Newly Combined Health Solutions Practice 2CLD Integrates Tin CAN API with its eLearning Solutions and Launches its Excelerometer Tracking Statement Dashboard 2CLD Integrates Tin CAN API with its eLearning Solutions and Launches its Excelerometer Tracking Statement Dashboard 3Study led by GW professor provides better understanding of water's freezing behavior at nanoscale 2ERA-EDTA CONGRESS 2013: Late Breaking Clinical Trials 2ERA-EDTA CONGRESS 2013: Late Breaking Clinical Trials 3
... (NYSE: AOB ), a leading manufacturer and distributor ... the Company will attend the Credit Suisse Asian Technology,Conference ... China as well as,the 3rd Semi-Annual Investor Tour of ... September 11, 2007 in Beijing, China. AOBO management ...
... OXFORD, N.C., Sept. 4 Catalyzing an entire,new ... of the newly,established Biofuels Center of North Carolina, ... of directors meeting. Funded with a $5 ... non-profit corporation will in coming years implement North,Carolina,s ...
... Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Biotechnology Middle East (PABME) 27-29 ... ... The Middle East,market for pharmaceutical manufacturing and biotechnology, already valued,at over US$ ... -- Dubai is the commercial, scientific and financial center of the ...
Cached Biology Technology:American Oriental Bioengineering Announces Participation in September Investor Conferences 2N.C. Takes Biofuels Leadership, Establishes New Endeavor With $5 Million State Appropriation 2N.C. Takes Biofuels Leadership, Establishes New Endeavor With $5 Million State Appropriation 3