Junk DNA: goodbye!: finding gene expression enhancers (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, November 06, 2020, 20:39 (1268 days ago) @ David Turell

Difficult to demonstrate in DNA, but this is a new approach using sea sponge DNA"

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-sea-sponge-scientists-unravel-million-year-old.html

"Australian scientists have found that humans, and most likely the entire animal kingdom, share important genetic mechanisms with a jelly-like sea sponge that comes from the Great Barrier Reef.

"Published in Science today, the research reveals some elements of the human genome—an organism's complete set of DNA—are functioning in the same way as the prehistoric sea sponge. This mechanism—which drives gene expression, key to species diversity across the animal kingdom—has therefore been preserved across 700 million years of evolution.

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"'We collected sea sponge samples from the Great Barrier Reef, near Herron Island. At the University of Queensland, we extracted DNA samples from the sea sponge and injected it into a single cell from a zebrafish embryo. Without harming the zebrafish, we then repeated the process at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute with hundreds of embryos, inserting small DNA samples from humans and mice as well."

"Dr. Wong says despite a lack of similarity between the sponge and humans due to millions of years of evolution, the team identified a similar set of genomic instructions that controls gene expression in both organisms.

"We were blown away by the results," Dr. Wong says.

"According to scientists, the sections of DNA that are responsible for controlling gene expression are notoriously difficult to find, study and understand. Even though they make up a significant part of the human genome, researchers are only starting to understand this genetic "dark matter".

"'We are interested in an important class of these regions called 'enhancers'," Dr. Wong says.

"'Trying to find these regions based on the genome sequence alone is like looking for a light switch in a pitch-black room. And that's why, up to this point, there has not been a single example of a DNA sequence enhancer that has been found to be conserved across the animal kingdom.

"'We are still a long way from a clear understanding of how DNA precisely shapes morphology in health and disease but our work is an important step in that direction."

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"The team focused on an ancient gene that is important in our nervous system but which also gave rise to a gene critical in heart development.'"

Comment: As usual the 'dark areas' of DNA are purposeful. I cannot image a designing God who created a bunch of useless DNA. God, as I view Him, is purely purposeful, and never shows frivolous human thoughts or desires.