Summary: Russian scientists have played it smarter than their Western contemporaries when it comes to DNA, or so is the claim of Grazyna Fosar and Franz Bludorf in their article on wakeup-world.com. The two reported that Western folk made a sad assumption claiming only 10% of human genes are functional and important, but named the remaining 90% “junk DNA.” That assumption is historically credited to Susumu Ohno, a geneticist of Japanese descent, born in Korea, who received a Ph.D. in veterinary science at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, followed by a Ph.D. and D.Sc. from Hokkaido University. In 1951 he became an American citizen and in 1972 Ohno wrote the article, So Much ‘Junk DNA' in our Genome. In fact, the seemingly useless DNA that scientists can scarcely explain make up not 90% but 95-98% of the genome, leaving us with at least 2% purposeful DNA. Most scientists no longer consider this labeling to be valid, but have recognized that nature has not proven to be so wasteful. The human DNA isn’t filled with junk. We just haven’t been able to comprehend it. On/Off Switches In August of this year a study conducted through the Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program at Sydney's Centenary Institute reported that at least part of the function of non-coding DNA (previously known as “junk”) is regulatory. Referred to as introns, these genetic materials don’t contain code to build proteins but control the expression of genes that do. Researchers observed that when introns were retained instead of spliced out from the mRNA transcription, protein construction sometimes stopped altogether. Intron retention, then, appears to be a biological means to control the activity of genes. They act as switches to turn genes on or off, or, as Ian Sample of the Encode project adds, “they may act like volume controls, turning a gene up and turning a gene down a little bit.” ScienceDaily reported: "This discovery, involving what was previously referred to as "junk," opens up a new level of gene expression control that could also play a role in the development of many other tissue types," Rasko [researcher] says. "Our observations were quite surprising and they open entirely new avenues for potential treatments in diverse diseases including cancers and leukemias." Encode Project Encode is an international project launched by The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in 2003. The name is code for ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements. The purpose of the project is to identify all of the functional elements within the human genome. The project has affirmed that the 20,000 protein-coding genes originally mapped out in the year-2000 are really just following orders. Yet, inside the previously named junk DNA 10,000 new “genes” have been identified. These bits of genetic material contain code for components that control the 3% of the DNA we know and love. Researchers believe that as much as 18% of our DNA sequence is modulating less than 2% of our DNA. Finally disproving the junk DNA theory, Encode has identified a biochemical function in 80% of the DNA sequence. The Encode experts are enthusiastic that this greater understanding of genetic processes will lead to treatments for diseases including heart disease, diabetes and Crohn’s disease, which are partly caused by genetic “glitches.” In recent history researchers have only looked at the bad handwriting, so to speak, noting the mutations or faulty instructions on the genes. Now their sights are set on the hidden “writers” higher up on the DNA chain causing those glitches. If they can get a hold of those, some believe they’ll be able to nip disease processes before they start. Omnipresence While the many hundreds of researchers from around the world joined forces to study the human genome through the Encode project, researchers in Russia began their own adventures back in 1990. A team led by Dr. Pjotr Garjajev has been thinking down a different path.
