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A Gene From the Human Brain Leapt Into a Virus-and Scientists Have No Idea What It’s Doing There
Yahoo • • health
Key Points:
- Researchers have identified BC200, a unique "jumping gene" that both serves a normal cellular function in human neurons and retains the ability to copy and insert itself elsewhere in the genome.
- BC200 blurs the line between gene and transposon, maintaining stable function while remaining mobile, a combination never before documented in a human gene.
- The gene has been found inserted into the genome of molluscum contagiosum virus, a human poxvirus, indicating it can transfer between human cells and viruses.
- BC200's mobility raises concerns as it appears abnormally in some tumors and is elevated in Alzheimer's disease brains, suggesting a potential role in disease development.
- Researchers aim to further study BC200’s function and its impact on illnesses, particularly whether its mobility causes mutations in cancer cells.
