Human, fly and worm genomes were sequenced, looking for common traits between the three species.
Pieces of genetic information are encoded at birth, while other segments of the code change over time, driven by environmental factors, diet, and other lifestyle choices. These changes are recorded as the epigenome, a series of chemical tabs on DNA and proteins that determine whether or not genes are activated.
Many diseases, including some cancers, diabetes and Alzheimer's, are caused by a lack of expression in genes, rather than mutations in the code itself. The trio of studies could assist researchers in developing new treatments for a wide range of disorders.
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) scientists undertook a study, examining genomes of the three distantly-related animals.
The Model Organism ENCylopedia Of DNA Elements (modENCODE), a research project investigating genetic code, recently produced a trio of studies. Human, worm and fruit fly genomes were all mapped, revealing common genetic codes between the three wildly-diverse species.
Common fruitflies, also called Drosophila melanogaster, and Caenorhabditis elegans, a form of worm, were compared to humans. The researchers discovered DNA is packed in a similar fashion by each species. Worms, fruit flies and humans also use similar methods to turn genes on and off, the trio of studies revealed.
"One way to describe and understand the human genome is through comparative genomics and studying model organisms. The special thing about the worm and fly is that they are very distant from humans evolutionarily, so finding something conserved across all three - human, fly and worm - tells us it is a very ancient, fundamental process," Mark Gerstein of Yale University and lead author of one of the articles, said.
Chromatin, a complex collection of DNA and proteins, was investigated in one of the studies. Researchers wanted to know how they affected duplication patterns of DNA. These structures are believed to play a role in the development of some cancers. Because of this, investigators have paid close attention to how chromatin affects biological processes.
The third study examined transcription-regulatory factors, which control proteins that drive cell development. This system assists in determining which progenitor cells develop into different forms, such as muscles, kidney, or skin.
"Our findings open whole new worlds for understanding gene expression and how we think about the role of transcription," Susan Celniker of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory told the press.
The trio of studies was published in the journal Nature.