Junk DNA: goodbye! (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, April 25, 2014, 19:31 (3866 days ago) @ David Turell

New Encode research finds 70-75% of DNA may have activity in modifying gene expression, (in body of the article), but firm evidence of activity is not fully established. The conclusion of the article:-"Conclusion:
In contrast to evolutionary and genetic evidence,
biochemical data offer clues about
both the molecular function served by underlying
DNA elements and the cell types
in which they act, thus providing a launching
point to study differentiation and development,
cellular circuitry, and human
disease (14, 35, 69, 111, 112). The major
contribution of ENCODE to date has been
high-resolution, highly-reproducible maps of
DNA segments with biochemical signatures
associated with diverse molecular functions.
We believe that this public resource is far
more important than any interim estimate
of the fraction of the human genome that
is functional.
By identifying candidate genomic elements
and placing them into classes with shared
molecular characteristics, the biochemical
maps provide a starting point for testing
how these signatures relate to molecular,
cellular, and organismal function. The data
identify very large numbers of sequence elements
of differing sizes and signal strengths.
Emerging genome-editing methods (113,
114) should considerably increase the
throughput and resolution with which
these candidate elements can be evaluated
by genetic criteria. Given the limitations of
our current understanding of genome function,
future work should seek to better define
genome elements by integrating all three
methods to gain insight into the roles they
play in human biology and disease."-http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/04/23/1318948111.long