The Deeper Genome : Why There Is More to the Human Genome Than Meets the Eye

Over a decade ago, as the Human Genome Project completed its mapping of the entire human genome, hopes ran high that we would rapidly be able to use our knowledge of human genes to tackle many inherited diseases, and understand what makes us unique among animals. But things didn't turn out that way. For a start, we turned out to have far fewer genes than originally thought - just over 20,000, the same sort of number as a fruit fly or worm. What's more, the proportion of DNA consisting of genes coding for proteins was a mere 2%. So, was the rest of the genome accumulated 'junk'? Things have changed since those early heady days of the Human Genome Project. But the emerging picture is if anything far more exciting. In this book, John Parrington explains the key features that are coming to light - some, such as the results of the international ENCODE programme, still much debated and controversial in their scope. He gives an outline of the deeper genome, involving layers of regulatory elements controlling and coordinating the switching on and off of genes; the impact of its 3D geometry; the discovery of a variety of new RNAs playing critical roles; the epigenetic changes influenced by the environment and life experiences that can make identical twins different and be passed on to the next generation; and the clues coming out of comparisons with the genomes of Neanderthals as well as that of chimps about the development of our species. We are learning more about ourselves, and about the genetic aspects of many diseases. But in its complexity, flexibility, and ability to respond to environmental cues, the human genome is proving to be far more subtle than we ever imagined. Cover 1 The Deeper Genome: Why there is more to the human Genome than meets the eye 4 Copyright 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 6 CONTENTS 8 INTRODUCTION: How the Genome Lost Its Junk 10 1: THE INHERITORS 21 2: LIFE AS A CODE 34 3: SWITCHES AND SIGNALS 51 4: THE SPACIOUS GENOME 67 5: RNA OUT OF THE SHADOWS 83 6: IT’S A JUNGLE IN THERE! 96 7: THE GENOME IN 3D 108 8: THE JUMPING GENES 121 9: THE MARKS OF LAMARCK 135 10: CODE, NON-CODE, GARBAGE, AND JUNK 149 11: GENES AND DISEASE 161 12: WHAT MAKES US HUMAN? 175 13: THE GENOME THAT BECAME CONSCIOUS 190 CONCLUSION: The Case for Complexity 204 GLOSSARY 217 ENDNOTES 219 Introduction: How the Genome Lost Its Junk 219 Chapter 1: The Inheritors 221 Chapter 2: Life as a Code 222 Chapter 3: Switches and Signals 224 Chapter 4: The Spacious Genome 226 Chapter 5: RNA Out of the Shadows 227 Chapter 6: It’s a Jungle in There! 229 Chapter 7: The Genome in 3D 231 Chapter 8: The Jumping Genes 233 Chapter 9: The Marks of Lamarck 235 Chapter 10: Code, Non-Code, Garbage, and Junk 236 Chapter 11: Genes and Disease 238 Chapter 12: What Makes Us Human? 240 Chapter 13: The Genome That Became Conscious 243 Conclusion: The Case for Complexity 244 INDEX OF NAMES 246 INDEX OF SUBJECTS 249 ANCESTORS IN OUR GENOME: The New Science of Human Evolution 256 BIOCODE: The New Age of Genomics 257 FREAKS OF NATURE: And what they tell us about evolution and development 258 LIFE UNFOLDING: How the human body creates itself 259 MISMATCH: The Timebomb of Lifestyle Disease 260 MISSING LINKS: In search of human origins 261 NATURE’S ORACLE: The life and work of W. D. Hamilton 262 WHAT IS LIFE? How Chemistry Becomes Biology 263 As the Human Genome Project completed its mapping of the entire human genome, hopes ran high that we would rapidly be able to use our knowledge of human genes to tackle many inherited diseases, and understand what makes us unique among animals. But things didn't turn out that way... but the emerging picture is if anything far more exciting. Parrington gives an outline of the deeper genome, involving layers of regulatory elements controlling and coordinating the switching on and off of genes; the impact of its 3D geometry; the discovery of a variety of new RNAs playing critical roles; the epigenetic changes influenced by the environment and life experiences that can make identical twins different and be passed on to the next generation; and the clues coming out of comparisons with the genomes of Neanderthals as well as that of chimps about the development of our species.-- Source other than the Library of Congress Mapping the human genome proved to be just the beginning in understanding our genes, what makes us human, and how we can use the knowledge to cure inherited diseases. John Parrington describes an emerging picture of our genome, in 3D, with many non-gene players and environmental influences, that is far more complex and subtle than we ever imagined.