Pan-vertebrate conserved non-coding sequences associated with developmental regulation.
Whilst coding sequences are readily recognised in vertebrate genomes using computational approaches, the identification of non-coding regulatory sequences has traditionally been much more difficult, due to their small size and, as a general rule, low sequence homology between genomes. Nevertheless, a small proportion of non-coding sequence is very highly conserved across the entire vertebrate radiation. This review will look at the specific properties of these sequences, how they have been identified and assayed functionally, and current progress in the quest to identify and understand the underlying language and grammar encoded within them. I will also discuss the evolution of these elements, and examine their emerging and likely roles in disease. Together these analyses are starting to unravel how conserved non-coding regions function at the molecular level.
Elgar
Greg
G
School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Rd, London E1 4NS, UK. g.Elgar@qmul.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D021901:DNA, Intergenic / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics*
D021901:DNA, Intergenic