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A Human Brain Gene Has Been Jumping Around Our DNA for 40 Million Years. Scientists Just Found It in a Virus
ZME Science • • health
Key Points:
- Researchers discovered that the human brain-associated gene BC200 has been copying itself into new genomic locations for tens of millions of years, maintaining its mobility despite acquiring a specialized cellular function.
- BC200 produces a noncoding RNA abundant in neurons, potentially regulating protein production, and originated from a mobile genetic element repurposed about 40 million years ago in primate ancestors.
- The gene likely exploits the LINE-1 element's copy-and-paste machinery to duplicate itself, which may explain how BC200 RNA was found inserted into the genome of molluscum contagiosum virus.
- BC200 RNA is expressed abnormally in some cancers and Alzheimer's disease, prompting researchers to investigate whether its mobility causes mutations with biological consequences in disease contexts.
- The discovery challenges the conventional view that repurposed mobile genetic elements lose their mobility, revealing that BC200 has simultaneously functioned as a useful gene and a jumping element for millions of years.
