• Question: You work on the DNA that doesn't seem to code for anything. What do you hope to find out about these transposons? Could your work reduce genetic disease?

    Asked by mattk to Louise on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Louise Johnson

      Louise Johnson answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      It’s thought that jumping genes like transposons are responsible for about 10% of human genetic disease, because they can, essentially, jump on top of existing genes and break them.

      I don’t think my work will directly help reduce genetic disease, although it’s very difficult to say which projects today will be useful tomorrow or in 10 years’ time. It might help us understand why transposons act the way they do, though, and why our cells are so full of them despite the fact that they don’t seem to do much to help us.

Comments

  • Photo: mattk

    mattk commented on :

    Thanks for the quick response, I find it quite hard to believe that 99% of our DNA doesn’t seem to do anything though, Is some of it left over from evolution or could it code for mutations in the future? (or am I just asking questions no-one knows!) 🙂
    Thanks

    • Photo: Louise

      Louise commented on :

      Something like 75% of our DNA is transposons or the remains of transposons. Nobody really knows how much use our non-gene DNA is, or how much it contributes to evolution, so yes, you’re asking questions nobody knows the answers to – and that’s great! So are we 🙂

      Some of our non-gene DNA is known to be important in helping switch genes off and on, but it’s interesting that the amount of DNA a living thing has doesn’t correspond very well to how complicated or “advanced” it seems to be. An onion has five times more DNA than a human. Does that prove that all DNA needn’t always be useful, and can sometimes just be there for no particular reason? Or do we just not understand onions?

  • Photo: mattk

    mattk commented on :

    Still plenty to find out then… Good Luck with your research! 🙂