Junk
Junk DNA
Junk DNA (pronounced: jʌŋk diːeɪenˈeɪ) is a term that was coined in the 1960s by the geneticist Susumu Ohno, to refer to the portions of the DNA sequence of a genome that do not encode for protein synthesis. The term is often used interchangeably with "noncoding DNA".
Etymology
The term "junk" was used to describe these portions of the DNA because it was initially thought that they had no function. The term "DNA" is an acronym for deoxyribonucleic acid, which is the molecule that carries genetic instructions in all living organisms and many viruses.
Related Terms
- Genome: The complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism.
- Gene: A unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
- Protein: A molecule composed of polymers of amino acids joined together by peptide bonds.
- Noncoding DNA: Sequences of DNA that do not code for proteins.
- Susumu Ohno: A Japanese-American geneticist and evolutionary biologist who coined the term "junk DNA".
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Junk
- Wikipedia's article - Junk
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