S6.24: Genes, junk and the ‘dark genome’
Kat: Hello, and welcome to Genetics Unzipped - the Genetics Society podcast, with me, Dr Kat Arney. In this episode we’re taking a deep dive into the human genome - discovering how the latest release of half a million whole genome sequences from UK Biobank will help medical research, plumbing the depths of the ‘dark genome’ in search of new ways to treat disease, and pondering how much of the human genome is actually just junk.
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Kat: Cast your mind back to the early 2000s, if you can. For our youngest listeners, ask a parent and make them feel old… The draft human genome had just been published, and the scientific world was waking up to the possibility of exploring our DNA - and its connection to disease - in unprecedented detail. Against this backdrop, a group of British scientists embarked on one of the most ambitious biomedical research projects ever undertaken: UK Biobank.
Over three years, half a million adult participants were recruited from across the UK to take part, providing biological samples for DNA sequencing and biomarker testing, along with plenty of other information about their health and lifestyle. This laid the foundation for a treasure trove of data which is still being added to today as the research team continues to measure and monitor participants as they age.
Initially, like many similar large-scale research projects, UK Biobank focused on sequencing exomes - that’s just genes themselves, which make up less than 2% of the human genome. But now they’ve gone the whole way…
Courtesy of Prof. Naomi Allen
Naomi Allen: What can 500,000 genomes tell us about human health?
At the end of November, UK Biobank announced a significant milestone in the project: the release of whole genome sequence data from all 500,000 participants.
I sat down with Professor Naomi Allen, Chief Scientist at UK Biobank, to find out why this dataset is so valuable, and why it’s so important that these sequences are whole genomes, rather than just genes.
Click here to read the full transcript…
Danuta Jeziorska: Exploring the secrets of the ‘dark genome’
Most genetic alterations linked to disease aren’t in genes but are in the ‘dark genome’.
Danuta Jeziorska is the co-founder and CEO of Nucleome Therapeutics, a company that has spun out of Oxford University with a new set of technologies for exploring the dark genome in unprecedented detail to reveal new ideas for treatments for some of the most challenging health conditions where we still need to do much more.
Click here to read the full transcript…
Courtesy of Dr. Danuta Jeziorska
Courtesy of Prof. Laurence Moran
Larry Moran: What’s in your genome?
If less than two per cent of your genome is actual genes, then what’s the rest? Is it just junk?
Larry Moran is a professor emeritus in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto, who for many years has argued that the vast majority of the human genome really is just junk after all..
He’s now laid out his thinking and the evidence supporting it in a book entitled What’s in Your Genome? Why 90% of your genome is junk.
Click here to read the full transcript…
Coming up from the Genetics Society!
A heads up that the Genetics Society Spring meeting, held in collaboration with the British Society for Developmental Biology, will be running from the 15th to the 18th of April at the University of Warwick on the theme of Developmental Genetics. The deadline for abstract submissions is the 9th of February, and early bird registration is now open for in person or virtual attendance. Head over to the events page on the Genetics Society website, or follow this link to secure your spot: http://bsdbgeneticssocietyspringmeeting.co.uk/
Tell us about you!
The Genetics Society, who have generously supported this podcast over the past five years, would like to know you a little better.
Please take a minute or two to fill out our simple survey.
And if you like, you can enter a prize draw to win a signed copy of Kat’s recent book, Rebel Cell: Cancer, evolution and the science of life.
Click here to fill in our survey
That’s all for now. If you’re curious to learn more about junk DNA and gene regulation, we’ve touched on these topics in previous episodes - such as Does size matter when it comes to your genes?, Genes or Junk?, and the immortal question, Are you more special than an onion? It’s also something I covered in depth in my first book, Herding Hemingway’s Cats: Understanding how our genes work.
My thanks to Larry Moran, Danuta Jeziorska, and Naomi Allen for speaking with me. You can find out more about UK Biobank and apply to use their data if you’re a legit research scientist at ukbiobank.ac.uk. There’s more info about Nucleome and their quest to decode the ‘dark genome’ at nucleome.com/ , and you can find Larry’s book, What’s in Your Genome, in all good (and evil) bookstores. And, of course, links to all of these can be found on the page for this podcast at GeneticsUnzipped.com.
We’ll be back next time with our final episode of the year - bringing you some of our favourite bits from interviews that we just couldn’t squeeze into our regular episodes. And as a reminder, please do pop over to fill in our short listener survey.
For more information about this podcast including show notes, transcripts, links, references and everything else head over to geneticsunzipped.com You can find us on Twitter @geneticsunzip and please do take a moment to leave us a rating in the Spotify app or review us on Apple podcasts - it really makes a difference and helps more people discover the show.
This episode of Genetics Unzipped was written and presented by me, Kat Arney. It’s a First Create the Media production for The Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies dedicated to promoting research, training, teaching and public engagement in all areas of genetics. You can find out more and apply to join at genetics.org.uk. Our theme music was composed by Dan Pollard, and the logo was designed by James Mayall, audio production was by Emma Werner and our producer is Sally Le Page. Thanks for listening, and until next time, goodbye.
