The disparity between gene and protein number challenges the classic 'one gene/one polypeptide' paradigm that has governed molecular biology for decades. Still, some researchers decided long ago that the paradigm was simplistic--to them news of the paucity of protein-encoding genes in the human genome wasn't surprising. "It seems that gene number is not as important as gene interactions," says Xiangyin Kong, an investigator at the Shanghai Research Center of Biotechnology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The human genome sequence, particularly its repetitive nature, also rejuvenated interest in genetic mechanisms that underlie the evolution of biological complexity. Eukaryotes, with their myriad cell organelles and other compartments, are far more complex than the evolutionarily much older bacteria and archaeans. How does a large eukaryotic organism like a plant or animal extract the most information from its genome? Recent research reveals a number of strategies for genome economy, and some are indeed ...
