Unknown: database of genes of unknown function in the genome

A new database, dubbed “Unknown,” was released this week by British researchers in an effort to make the classification of proteins encoded in the human genome publicly available. on the contrary Although unknown, its functions have not yet been studied in depth.

Although the human genome was encoded in 2003, we are still not sure how all of its genes work. And although we can edit them thanks to the CRISPR technique, we still don’t know how the set of human genes interact with each other and how the genome responds to the environment.

According to João Rocha of the University of Cambridge, first author of the paper, there are many reasons why these genes are little known to date. talk to website Science Alertclaims there is a funding aspect for genes whose clinical relevance has already been proven, or those that are more numerous or more common in laboratory types.

How does Unname work?

How ignorance can drive biological discovery: Sean Munro’s group @CellBiol_MRCLMB created an Unknown database with @mjafreeman also @Dunn_Schoolrank proteins according to how little is known about them.

Read more here: https://t.co/imQTPkVXdW

#LMBAresearch #anonymous pic.twitter.com/sGKYu5gif3

— MRC Molecular Biology Laboratory (@MRC_LMB) 9 August 2023

Unknome database consisting of the first and last syllables of the English term UNKNown GenOME (unknown genome) “Classifies proteins based on how little is known about them”Says the article published in the journal PLOS Biology. To facilitate research, the authors assigned a “knowledge” score to each protein.

According to a press release, this “note” reflects “information in the scientific literature on function, interspecies conservation, subcellular compartmentalization, and other elements.” Researchers using this method The scores of thousands of proteins in the human genome are close to zero.

Testing the Unknown

To test how the database could be used in practice, the authors selected 260 corresponding human genes in the fly’s genome. fruit flyand those with a knowledge point of 1 or less in both types. It then systematically deleted all shared genes in the developing flies.

How many of these flies died?, It turns out that the proteins encoded by these genes play a critical role in animal biology.. By further removing expression of the fly genes only in some tissues but not others, the researchers were able to identify some previously unknown functions of male fertility, protein quality control and stress resistance.

The results showed that even after decades of work, there are thousands of fly genes (and thus the human genome) that need to be understood at the most basic level. “These uncharacterized genes don’t deserve to be ignored,” says co-author Sean Munro.

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