In a major breakthrough, a group of Indian Scientists have paved the way for predicting the risk of diseases like cancer, heart conditions and diabetes even before the symptoms are seen.
The findings have been published in iScience journal. In the study, they explain how only certain DNAs from the vast genome gets ‘switched on’ and put humans at risk of diseases.
On the findings, Vijay Tiwari of Queens University, Belfast, who led the team of scientists, said that the findings gave an answer to several fundamental questions of DNA’s function in health and diseases. It was found that many of the diseases occur when mutations on a certain part of the DNA strand happens. The DNA strand known as Enhancers act as a switch in gene expression and engage the promoter region of a particular gene, they said.
The scientists said that this finding could help in switching on and switching off certain genetic traits that would go into an individual’s early traits. It was found that the Enhancer have high Propeller Twist levels. These scientists claim that they are the first to discover that the high Propeller Twist could make a difference in the surface of the Enhancer sections and make them more physically accessible and flexible. These properties also make the Enhancer regions more prone to mutagenic agents that could harm the cells that lead to many diseases.
