Cancer risk linked to DNA 'wormholes'
Thursday, February 19, 2015 - 11:30
in Biology & Nature
Single-letter genetic variations within parts of the genome once dismissed as 'junk DNA' can increase cancer risk through wormhole-like effects on far-off genes, new research shows. Researchers found that DNA sequences within 'gene deserts' -- so called because they are completely devoid of genes -- can regulate gene activity elsewhere by forming DNA loops across relatively large distances.