Code in the non-coding

Abstract

Genomes are comprised of both protein-coding and non-coding sequences. Strangely, most eukaryotic genomes are made up of huge amounts of non-coding regions while a relatively smaller part of the genome codes for proteins. The significance underlying the abundance of non-coding sequences has been elusive for many decades. The non-coding part of the genome comprises of sequences like transposons, satellite DNA, introns, pseudogenes, etc. With technological advances, we have now been able to know more about this part of the genome. Emerging studies show that these sequences perform various kinds of functions, many of which are regulatory in nature. Here, we present overviews of various kinds of non-coding elements found in eukaryotic genomes and discuss the roles that they perform in the genome. We suggest that a significant proportion of the non-coding DNA is an essential component of the genetic make-up in higher eukaryotes that has accumulated during evolution for regulatory function.