Sunday, 15 December 2013

Scientists find second code hiding in DNA

 

PTI | Dec 14, 2013, 07.19 AM IST

WASHINGTON: In a major find, researchers have discovered a second code hiding within DNA which has instructions on gene control.

The discovery may help change how scientists read the instructions contained in DNA and interpret mutations to make sense of health and disease.

Since the genetic code was deciphered in the 1960s, researchers have assumed that it was used exclusively to write information about proteins . University of Washington scientists were surprised to discover that genomes use the genetic code to write two separate languages.

One describes how proteins are made, and the other instructs the cell on how genes are controlled.

One language is written on top of the other, which is why the second language remained hidden for so long.

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