Evolutionary Impact of the Noncoding Genome in Higher Organisms—Recent Insights Obtained from the Molecular and Cellular Level to Systems Biology

Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that 99% of the human genome does not encode proteins, but is transcriptionally active and gives rise to a broad spectrum of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) with complex regulatory and structural functions. The striking observation of a steeply increasing fraction of ncRNAs, in contrast to an only modest increase in the number of protein-coding genes, during evolution from simple organisms to humans, suggests an overwhelming role of ncRNAs arising from the noncoding genome in health and diseases. Importantly, however, ncRNAs can also be targets or tools of novel therapeutic strategies. Thus, RNA interference-mediating siRNAs are highly versatile novel ‘general purpose’ tools for the silencing of essentially any protein-coding or noncoding gene.

Research into the vast realm of the noncoding genome thus leads to fundamentally new therapeutic strategies based on profoundly enhanced understanding of genome complexity. Beyond established knowledge in the field, this Special Issue aims to address remaining knowledge gaps and discuss newly emerging questions and concepts of research. Contributions will include work from neurosciences (brain research, neurological diseases, anthropology), immunology/genetics, and nucleic acid biochemistry, along with the intersections of these disciplines.

We look forward to colleagues illuminating unsolved questions: Have advanced immune systems incorporated evolutionary recent noncoding genomic regions to improve and balance their response to complex environmental  and endogenous challenges? Is noncoding genome evolution causally linked to brain evolution and may it explain critical differences between otherwise similar primate species? How many molecular players and levels of human genome complexity are still unknown to us? 

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Cells.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Poller
Guest Editor

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cell biology

immune cell functions

immunogenetics

noncoding genome

neurobiology

human evolution

brain evolution

brain-immune system interactions

nucleic acid-based therapeutics

RNA interference