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Researchers have long puzzled over why many eukaryotic protein-coding genes are interspersed with segments of noncoding DNA that have no obvious biological function. These so-called introns are typically spliced out from their original sequence between transcription and translation and rapidly destroyed prior to protein production. Two studies published today (January 16) in Nature now reveal an unexpected role for introns, at least in yeast: many of them linger in the cells long after splicing, and play an important role in regulating cell growth under stressful conditions.
“I find it quite surprising and exciting, that something like an intron—which is normally regarded as a waste product—can have such a dramatic regulatory role during certain physiological conditions like starvation,” remarks Jürg Bähler, a geneticist at University College London, who was not involved in either study.
Since the discovery of introns in 1977, researchers have proposed several theories why ...
