DNA found outside genes plays largely unknown, potentially vital roles: Thousands of previously unknown RNA molecules identified

A new study highlights the potential importance of the vast majority of human DNA that lies outside of genes within the cell. The researchers found that 85% of these stretches of DNA make lincRNAs (large intergenic non-coding RNAs), molecules that increasingly is being found to play important roles within cells. They also determined that lincRNA is more likely than other non-gene DNA regions to be associated with inherited disease risks.

The study, published in the free online journal PLOS Genetics on June 20, 2013, is one of the most extensive examinations of the human genome ever undertaken to see which stretches of DNA outside of genes make RNA and which do not. Scientists estimate that only 1.5 percent of the genome consists of genes, McManus said. But over the last 20 years other kinds of RNAs have been identified that are transcribed from DNA outside of gene regions. Some of these RNA molecules play important biological roles, but scientists debate whether few or most of these RNA molecules are likely to be biologically significant.

Matthew J. Hangauer, Ian W. Vaughn, Michael T. McManus. Pervasive Transcription of the Human Genome Produces Thousands of Previously Unidentified Long Intergenic Noncoding RNAs. PLoS Genetics, 2013; 9(6): e1003569 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003569

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View the PLoS Genetics article HERE.