The relationship between non-protein-coding DNA and eukaryotic complexity

Taft, R. J., Pheasant, M. and Mattick, J. S. (2007-03) The relationship between non-protein-coding DNA and eukaryotic complexity. BioEssays, 29 3: 288-299.


Author(s) Taft, R. J.
Pheasant, M.
Mattick, J. S.
Title The relationship between non-protein-coding DNA and eukaryotic complexity
Journal name BioEssays
Publication date 2007-03
Sub-type Review of research - research literature review (NOT book review
Volume number 29
Issue number 3
ISSN 0265-9247
Start page 288
End page 299
Total pages 12
Place of publication Hoboken, USA
Publisher John Wiley & Sons
Collection year 2008
Language eng
Subject C1
270208 Molecular Evolution
780105 Biological sciences
Abstract There are two intriguing paradoxes in molecular biology-the inconsistent relationship between organismal complexity and (1) cellular DNA content and (2) the number of protein-coding genes-referred to as the C-value and G-value paradoxes, respectively. The C-value paradox may be largely explained by varying ploidy. The G-value paradox is more problematic, as the extent of protein coding sequence remains relatively static over a wide range of developmental complexity. We show by analysis of sequenced genomes that the relative amount of non-protein-coding sequence increases consistently with complexity. We also show that the distribution of introns in complex organisms is non-random. Genes composed of large amounts of intronic sequence are significantly overrepresented amongst genes that are highly expressed in the nervous system, and amongst genes downregulated in embryonic stem cells and cancers. We suggest that the informational paradox in complex organisms may be explained by the expansion of cis-acting regulatory elements and genes specifying trans-acting non-protein-coding RNAs.
Keyword(s) Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Biology
Conserved Noncoding Sequences
Gene-expression
Genome Size
Drosophila-melanogaster
Biological Complexity
Mammalian Genome
Regulatory Rnas
Mouse Genome
C-value
Evolution
 
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http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/34201/home  
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bies.20544  
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