There has been speculation about Non-coding’s function. Non-coding DNA has been said to be “Junk DNA” until scientists have found evidence for it having a structural function. More scientists are now trying to find more functions that Non-coding DNA might have. Non-coding DNA lies between genes on the Chromosome and does not code for amino acids. Regular DNA is also found in the Chromosome, but it does code for amino acids with help from the RNA.
It is found in the human genome project that over 98% of the genome is non-coding DNA (Source A). There are two theories revolving around Non-Coding DNA and its existence. One theory states that Non-coding DNA consists of randomly sequenced …show more content…
Non-coding DNA influences the activity of other genes, which could cause mutations. Due to the fact that the Human Genome Project gets bigger by the year and new information is updated almost daily, it will be easier to find any potential diseases caused by variables of the non-coding regions of the genome (Source G). The greatest genetic disturbance is caused when the “ultrasensitive” regions are altered. When major parts of the genome is not translated by the non-coding DNA, mutations occur (Source F). An international group of cancer researchers completed a study that found out that mutated non-coding DNA molecules can in fact cause cancer (Source E). A team of scientists applied a computer they developed, FunSeq, to more than 80 genomes and found approximately 100 potential non-coding cancer variants (Source G). Evidence has been found that Non-coding DNA moulds and shaped mice’s skull. The same Non-coding DNA is found in humans, and could mean that it also moulds human skulls (Source D). According to a scientist, Wray, research has shown that diseases such as bipolar and depression may be associated with mutations of the non-coding region that determines whether the brain is producing enough of a particular neurotransmitter or not (Source