Evolving Genomic Metaphors: A New Look at the Language of DNA
John C. Avise
Recent genome-sequencing efforts have confirmed that traditional
"good-citizen" genes (those that encode functional RNA and protein
molecules of obvious benefit to the organism) constitute only a small
fraction of the genomic populace in humans and other multicellular
creatures. The rest of the DNA sequence includes an astonishing
collection of noncoding regions, regulatory modules, deadbeat
pseudogenes, legions of repetitive elements, and hosts of oft-shifty,
self-interested nomads, renegades, and immigrants. To help visualize
functional operations in such intracellular genomic societies and to
better encapsulate the evolutionary origins of complex genomes, new and
evocative metaphors may be both entertaining and research-stimulating.
Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. E-mail: avise{at}arches.uga.edu
