ENCODE Project
ENCODE Explosion
06/09/12 13:12 Filed in: GenomeWeb Daily Scan
The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project has generated more than 30 publications in a variety of journals from more than 440 researchers, and it has been suggested that as much as 80 percent of the human genome has a biochemical function, including at least four million gene switches that once were dismissed as 'junk DNA." However, others, including Michael Eisen, T. Ryan Gregory and Leonid Kruglyak at their blog sites and Tweeter feeds have challenged this estimate. S. Pelech presents his own arguments for why the bulk of the DNA in the human genome is dispensable and points out that such biological inefficiency is actually very common place. Read More...
Bits of Mystery DNA, Far From ‘Junk,’ Play Crucial Role
05/09/12 13:09 Filed in: New York Times
The ENCODE project undertaken by 440 scientists from 32 labs since 2003 claimed to uncover at least four million gene regulatory elements that were previously dismissed as “junk,” and proposed that at least 80% of the human genome sequence is functional. The group has suggested that this has enormous implications for human health, because many complex diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease appear to be caused by tiny changes in hundreds of gene switches. S. Pelech points out that less than 3% of the human genome actually encodes proteins or RNA, and about 8% of the human genome features remnants of viral DNA that were integrated into the genomes of our ancestors over millions of years. He rebukes the notion of 80% of the human genome sequence as being functional and important based on comparative genomics studies with many other species that have revealed extreme ranges in the sizes of their genomes, whilst still having a relatively similar number of genes. Read More...