Using artificial intelligence, researchers have found potential cancer drivers hidden in so-called 'junk' regions of DNA.
About Junk DNA:
In genetics, the term junk DNA refers to regions of DNA that are noncoding.
DNA contains instructions (coding) that are used to create proteins in the cell.
However, the amount of DNA contained inside each cell is vast, and not all of the genetic sequences present within a DNAmolecule actually code for a protein.
Some of this noncoding DNA is used to produce non-coding RNA components such as transfer RNA, regulatory RNA and ribosomal RNA.
However, other DNA regions are not transcribed into proteins, nor are they used to produce RNA molecules and their function is unknown. These are known as junk regions of DNA.
The proportion of coding versus noncoding DNAvaries significantly between species.
In the human genome, for example, almost all (98%) of the DNA is noncoding, while in bacteria, only 2% of the genetic material does not code for anything.
However, over the years, researchers have found evidence to suggest that junk DNA may provide some form of functional activity.
Some lines of evidence suggest that fragments of what were originally non-functionalDNA have undergone the process of exaptation throughout evolution.
Exaptation refers to the acquisition of a function through means other than natural selection.
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