Genetics and Health

‘Telepathic’ genes

by Elaine on January 28th, 2008

New research has shown evidence that genes have the ability to recognize similarities in each other from a distance, without any proteins or other biological molecules aiding the process. This discovery could explain how similar genes find each other and group together in order to perform key processes involved in the evolution of species.

According to new research from Imperial College, UK published this week in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B, this ability to seek each other out could be the key to how genes identify one another and align with each other in order to begin the process of ‘homologous recombination’ - whereby two double-helix DNA molecules come together, break open, swap a section of genetic information, and then close themselves up again. Recombination is an important process which plays a key role in evolution and natural selection, and is also central to the body’s ability to repair damaged DNA.     

Before now, scientists have not known exactly how suitable pairs of genes find each other in order for this process to begin. Professor Alexei Kornyshev from Imperial College London, one of the study’s authors, explains the significance of the team’s results:

 “Seeing these identical DNA molecules seeking each other out in a crowd, without any external help, is very exciting indeed. This could provide a driving force for similar genes to begin the complex process of recombination without the help of proteins or other biological factors. Our team’s experimental results seem to support these expectations.”

Understanding the precise mechanism of the primary recognition stage of genetic recombination may shed light on how to avoid or minimize recombination errors in evolution, natural selection and DNA repair. This is important because such errors are believed to cause a number of genetically determined diseases including cancers and some forms of Alzheimer’s, as well as contributing to ageing. Understanding this mechanism is also essential for refining precise artificial recombination techniques for biotechnologies and gene therapies of the future.

For more on this piece of research click on the following link: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_24-1-2008-14-30-52?newsid=25614

Elaine Warburton  www.geneticsandhealth.com 

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POSTED IN: Chromosome abnormalities, DNA, DNA profiling, Evolution, Genealogy and DNA, General Genetics and Health, Genes, Genetic Future, Genetic Ingenuity, Genetics of Disease, gene therapy