"Junk DNA" and British scientists (TM)
Scientists have seen a new generation of drugs in the "junk DNA"
The map was compiled as part of the ENCODE project – "Encyclopedia of DNA elements".
Geneticists have discovered that many genes that were previously considered a simple ballast in human DNA and were called "garbage" turned out to be vital. With their help, scientists promise to create fundamentally new medicines that will save from incurable diseases.
"But the main thing is that it's time to throw the term "junk DNA" in the trash," says ENCODE project manager Dr. Ewen Birney from Cambridge.
Gene MarathonThe decoding of human DNA started in 1990, when geneticists from different countries joined forces within the framework of The Human Genome Project (The Human Genome Project – HGP).
In 2000, they had a "draft" of this genome ready, and by 2003, a map of 99.99% of human DNA was compiled.
At the same time, it turned out that a person has only 28 thousand genes and they occupy less than 2% of the place in DNA. The remaining 98% of the heredity molecule, as it seemed then, consisted of meaningless information for human life. It was called non-coding, redundant, "selfish" DNA, but in the end the term "junk DNA" (junk DNA) won. This DNA did not encode proteins, but only reproduced itself. Why she did it, no one understood.
"After spending 13 years and $3 billion on the Human Genome project, its participants realized that they did not understand anything," Vyacheslav Tarantul, Deputy Director for Science at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented on the situation for RIA Novosti.
Immediately after the end of HGP in 2003, a new international megaproject ENCODE began, which lasted almost 10 years. More than 400 scientists from 32 laboratories in the UK, USA, Spain, Singapore and Japan have been working on it for nine years.
Along the way, they compiled a gene map of the Neanderthal and made sure that his DNA coincides with ours by 99.5%, that is, there is a fundamental possibility to turn a modern person into him. And it is even clear which genes need to be corrected for this in the human embryo.
This week, scientists reported on the completion of their work on the "Encyclopedia of DNA Elements".
"It can be used to create fundamentally new drugs or to find new applications for existing treatments," promises Dr. Ian Dunham from Cambridge.
But scientists could not promise anything more specific.
"It's clear again that nothing is clear yet," jokes Vyacheslav Tarantula.
The professor, according to him, does not understand at all why it was so loud to announce the results of research that has been going on for a long time and the end of which is not yet in sight.
The phenomenon of British scientistsThe ENCODE project was managed in Cambridge, and the main work within the framework of the project was done in the UK, and it is probably not necessary to explain what influence the brand "British scientists" has on the mind of an ordinary person.
British scientists have traditionally been distinguished by the high level of their research since the time of Isaac Newton. But it was only in the era of universal computerization that it became possible to create a kind of trademark from them. This brand is often treated with irony, but it would be a mistake to extend this irony to all the activities of these scientists.
Their main mouthpiece, the weekly Nature, is published on Thursdays, and its online version becomes available on Wednesday. At the same time, the weekly issues press releases and holds press conferences for journalists, announcing another epoch-making achievement of British science.
It is clear that British scientists do not make discoveries every week. But in the era of general PR, it's not difficult to pass off any routine research as a sensation, you just need to come up with a scathing headline and the right message.
For example, this Wednesday, the cover of Nature was decorated with inch ENCODE letters, and at the weekly press conference and press releases, specially trained people explained that from now on there are no secrets in the human genome and now everyone will be cured.
The British have mastered the technology of scientific PR perfectly, thereby, by the way, once again confirming the high level of their science – marketing, this time.
In the same way, they decided to go to the USA and create a competing brand "American scientists". But the fatal obstacle was that the main tribune of American scientists, the journal Science, was published on Fridays (the Internet version, respectively, appeared on Thursday).
It would seem that it would be easier to postpone the release of Science to Wednesday or even Tuesday. Alas, it is not customary to do this in fundamental science, here the well-being and very existence of scientists depends on the sanctity of priority, and therefore, even in small things, the principle of fair play reigns – fair play. The publishers of Science would be ridiculed for such actions and subjected to universal contempt.
So American scientists are doomed to be late for a day with their weekly epoch-making discoveries.
If someone does not believe, they can Google it themselves and make sure that British scientists are particularly prolific in the media space on Wednesdays (we have Thursdays, since we still need to translate into Russian and somehow comment), and American, respectively, on Thursdays and Fridays.
Everyone else makes scientific sensations throughout the week, but they look much paler, because there is no money in their countries for promotion, as in America, and such skills as in the UK.
However, all this is by the way. In the case of "junk genes", it is much more interesting to understand whether there is something more significant for an ordinary person behind this catchy phrase than a reason to once again recall the existence of British scientists.
Garbage collectionFor today, there is only one obvious benefit from "junk genes".
Some of them are used as markers for DNA fingerprinting, which is widely used by police officers in television series and much less often in real life.
"The largest DNA file is now in the FBI, where the account of individual DNA profiles is already in the millions. A smaller data bank in the UK. Both there and there DNA-type everyone who got into the police for a more or less serious reason. In our country, according to the law on state genomic registration, which came into force in 2009, only criminals who have committed serious crimes, so–called sexual criminals of all categories and unidentified corpses are typified," explains Pavel Ivanov, deputy director of the Russian Center for Forensic Examination.
As for other practical applications of "junk DNA", so far it justifies its name. Although none of their scientists have ever really considered it garbage.
"Some part of the DNA of living beings seems to be really garbage, in the literal sense of the word. In any case, mice whose DNA was cut out lived peacefully for many generations," says Professor Tarantula.
However, the "garbage" sections of DNA, according to him, are shrinking all the time. As it turned out, some of them are involved in DNA doubling during cell division, while others perform the functions of regulators of normal, "non-junk" genes. Four hundred thousand new gene "switches" have been found within the ENCODE project alone.
How to put HIV to sleep"In the garbage DNA of a person, areas that belonged to ancient viruses are clearly visible.
Once they were embedded in DNA and reproduced their own kind in countless numbers, releasing them into our body and causing disease. But then, for some reason, they stopped their activity and remained forever immured in our DNA molecule," says Professor Ivanov.
According to him, now oncoviruses and human immunodeficiency virus behave exactly the same as ancient viruses once behaved. Once in the human body, they are embedded in its DNA and from there replicate (multiply) their own kind.
"It is possible to beat only copies of viruses at the moment when they enter the body from an infected cell. But their source, their matrix, can only be killed by digging it out of DNA. And this cannot be done without damaging the DNA molecules," explains Professor Ivanov.
Now the whole strategy of treating cancer and AIDS is to beat up the next portions of copies of viruses as they are made on matrices or invent ways to dig out their matrix from DNA.
According to Professor Ivanov, if we understand the mechanism of turning such viruses into genetic garbage in human DNA, then we can seriously hope for the creation of cardinal drugs for cancer and AIDS.
The ENCODE project has added knowledge about "junk DNA". But most importantly, he pointed out the direction where we need to move in order to learn how to turn off HIV and oncoviruses and immerse them in a lethargic sleep inside our DNA, turning them into genetic garbage.
The main role in this was played by British scientists. They not only know how to promote themselves.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru07.09.2012