Scientific research over the past decade has concentrated almost exclusively on the 2 percent of the genome's protein coding regions, virtually ignoring the other 98 percent, a vast universe of non-coding genetic material previously dismissed as nothing more than 'junk.' Now, a team led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) reveals that one type—called long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)—may be critically important for controlling cellular components in a tissue-specific manner. Published online today in the journal Nature, the new research points to an lncRNA's key role in helping control processes related to muscle regeneration and cancer.
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