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Overlapping language seems to help
direct DNA activity in cells,
researchers report.
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THURSDAY, Dec. 12, 2013 (HealthDayNews) -- Another code within DNAhas been
discovered byscientists -- a finding that the researchers saysheds light on how
changes to DNAaffect health.
Since the genetic code was first deciphered in the 1960s, scientists have believed it
was used solelyto write information about proteins. But this new studyfrom
Universityof Washington scientists found that genomes use the genetic code to
write two separate languages.
One language describes how proteins are made, and the other helps direct genetic
activityin cells. One language is written on top of the other, which is whythis other
language went undiscovered for so long, according to the report in the Dec. 13
issue of Science.
"For over 40 years, we have assumed that DNAchanges affecting the genetic code
solelyimpact how proteins are made," team leader Dr. John Stamatoyannopoulos,
an associate professor of genome sciences and of medicine, said in a university
news release.
"Now we know that this basic assumption about reading the human genome
missed half of the picture," he said.
This other code maybe where diseases can develop, when the more complicated
job of regulating how genes are expressed in cells goes awry, the studyauthors
suggested. The finding could have a significant impact on how scientists and
doctors interpret a patient's genetic code and lead to new ways to diagnose and
treat health problems, the researchers said.
"The fact that the genetic code can simultaneouslywrite two kinds of information
means that manyDNAchanges that appear to alter protein sequences mayactually
cause disease bydisrupting gene control programs or even both mechanisms
simultaneously," Stamatoyannopoulos explained in the news release.
More information
The U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute has more about genomics.
Copyright 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Scientists Discover Another Genetic
Code
By -- Robert Preidt, HealthDay
Dec. 12, 2013 2:00PMPST

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