Scientists find human brain gene that still jumps through the genome — SkimNews
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- Cornell University researchers identified BC200, the first human gene shown to retain jumping-gene mobility while serving a cellular function, according to a study published Sept. 24 in Science.
- BC200 evolved millions of years ago from a transposon but unlike most repurposed transposon-derived genes, it never lost its ability to relocate within genomes, said senior author Cedric Feschotte.
- BC200 was found embedded inside the molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), and researchers believe the gene jumped into the virus from infected skin cells, the only cells MCV is known to infect.
- BC200 is expressed mainly in neurons and appears to help regulate how neuronal messenger RNAs are translated into proteins, though its exact physiological role remains uncertain.
- BC200 appears at low levels in germ cells (sperm and eggs), giving it the potential to create heritable new insertions in the human genome.
- BC200 is abnormally expressed in some tumors and shows elevated levels in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, raising the possibility that its mobility contributes to disease.
- About half of the human genome consists of transposon-derived DNA, but only a very small fraction of those elements remain capable of moving within genomes.
- Feschotte's team plans to investigate whether MCV uses BC200 to manipulate human host cells for the virus's own benefit, and whether BC200 is actively jumping in cancer cells.
Why it matters: Until now, scientists believed that genes repurposed from transposable elements had typically lost their mobility — BC200 challenges that assumption, with potential consequences for understanding Alzheimer's, cancer, and how viruses borrow human genetic material. The next research question is whether MCV hijacks BC200 to manipulate infected skin cells, which would reframe the virus-host relationship in a new way.
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