Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
The central dogma of biology states that genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to proteins, but only two percent of the human genome encodes proteins. The function of the remaining 98% is largely unknown, with some referring to these regions as “junk.” However, a study in Cell reveals that noncoding RNAs are functional and vital in human cells, impacting cancer and human development. Using CRISPR technology targeting RNA, researchers identified nearly 800 essential lncRNAs across various human cell types. This discovery challenges the notion that noncoding RNAs are insignificant, potentially leading to new cancer treatment targets and personalized medicine opportunities.
https://phys.org/news/2024-11-rna-crispr-reveals-hundreds-noncoding.html