Courtesy of Paul H. Silverman
For more than 50 years scientists have operated under a set of seemingly incontrovertible assumptions about genes, gene expression, and the consequences thereof. Their mantra: One gene yields one protein; genes beget messenger RNA, which in turn begets protein; and most critically, the gene is deterministic in gene expression and can therefore predict disease propensities.
Yet during the last five years, data have revealed inadequacies in this theory. Unsettling results from the Human Genome Project (HGP) in particular have thrown the deficiencies into sharp relief. Some genes encode more than one protein; others don't encode proteins at all. These findings help refine evolutionary theory by explaining an explosion of diversity from relatively little starting material. We therefore need to rethink our long-held beliefs: A reevaluation of the genetic determinism doctrine, coupled with a new systems biology mentality, could help consolidate and clarify genome-scale data, enabling ...
