Long Complex Gene Tails Defy Evolution | The Institute for Creation Research

Long Complex Gene Tails Defy Evolution

If the picture of complexity regarding how genes are controlled and regulated in the genome was not complicated enough, a new study has increased this paradigm to an unprecedented level.1 Recently reported research describes massively long gene tails that do not code for proteins, but instead contain hundreds to thousands of built in regulatory switches per gene RNA copy.

When a protein-coding gene is turned on in the genome, copies of it are made called mRNAs. These mRNAs are then processed to remove non-protein coding intervening regions called "introns" and also to join together the protein coding regions called "exons." Most genes in the human genome undergo a highly complex and regulated process called "alternative splicing" that produces mRNA gene copies with different sets of exons. As a result, a single gene has the capability to produce many different types of mRNAs that code for a wide array of proteins.2,3

This recent study in both mice and humans now shows that not only are the exons of a gene alternatively spliced, but so is the sequence that is tagged onto the end of a gene called the "3-prime untranslated region" (3' UTR)—like a "tail" at the end.1 This 3' UTR tail does not code for protein, but instead contains a variety of genetic switches that allow the gene to be regulated after it is copied or transcribed.

The 3' UTR gene tails contain a variety of regulatory features. Some of them allow regulatory RNA-binding proteins to attach to the mRNA's tail while others allow small regulatory RNAs—called micro RNAs—to bind. The combination of these bound regulatory molecules fine-tunes and robustly controls genes after the mRNAs are produced. This is a form of regulation called "post-transcriptional," meaning after the mRNA is transcribed.

Like the protein-coding areas of the gene, these 3' UTR tails are also alternatively spliced and thus variable. Their size and makeup can vary widely and dynamically between mRNAs from the same gene and between the different cell types in which they are found.

While scientists knew that the 3' UTRs of genes had this capability several years ago, they recently discovered that this feature was on a scale much more intricate and massive than they anticipated. In this study, they identified 2035 mouse and 1847 human genes that have 3' UTR tails ranging from 500 to 25,000 bases long. In some cases, they were even longer than the protein-coding areas of the genes themselves. These incredibly long gene tails literally contain hundreds to thousands of genetic switches within each single mRNA. 

The complexity of genetic control at this level astounds researchers—each network of genes related to a certain cell process is composed of hundreds to thousands of individual genes, each with this type of intricate regulatory set of features. Not only that, but genetic networks in the cell also overlap and function together dynamically, continually, and robustly as part of normal cell physiology.

The level of coordination of such genetic complexity is almost beyond human comprehension and clearly the product of incredible bioengineering from an Omnipotent and Wise Creator.

References

  1. Miura, P., et al. 2013. Widespread and extensive lengthening of 3′ UTRs in the mammalian brain. Genome Research, Published online March 21, 2013 in advance of the print journal. doi:10.1101/gr.146886.112 
  2. Barash, Y., et al. 2010. Deciphering the splicing code. Nature. 465 (7294): 53-59.
  3. For a brief review of alternative splicing, see: Tomkins, J. 2012. The Irreducibly Complex Genome: Designed from the Beginning. Acts & Facts. 41 (3): 6.

*Dr. Tomkins is Research Associate at the Institute for Creation Research and received his Ph.D. in Genetics from Clemson University.
 

The Latest
NEWS
Creation's Easter Message
While many Christians still consider the creation doctrine a fringe issue, a proper understanding of the Christian message finds creation at its core...

NEWS
ICR Veteran Don Barber Retires
Don Barber   After 34 years with the Institute for Creation Research, Director of Enterprise Technology Don Barber will retire...

CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
The Sanctity of Life | Creation.Live Podcast: Episode 23
Abortion is a big issue culturally and in the church. How can believers love our neighbors and act as the hands and feet of Christ when it comes...

NEWS
Plant Receptors Are Designed to Control Immunity and Development
God has designed plants to continuously track their environment.1 They do so with specially designed detectors (also called receptors) on...

CREATION PODCAST
Homo Naledi: The Lies Behind Evolution's Rising Star | The Creation...
Homo naledi, once evolution's 'rising star,' was considered to be a prime example of human evolution. But is it really proof? Or...

NEWS
A Subsurface Ocean on Mimas?
Scientists have analyzed data obtained from the Cassini spacecraft and concluded that irregularities in the orbit of Saturn’s moon Mimas indicate...

NEWS
In Theaters March 20 & 21: The Ark and the Darkness
Is Genesis true? What about Noah’s Flood? How did Noah fit the animals on the ark? Wasn’t it a local flood? Have you asked these questions? Though...

NEWS
Enigmatic Fossil Plants
The pre-Flood world thousands of years ago was unlike the world of today.1 Unfamiliar animals and plants were common, and there were a lot...

NEWS
Surprisingly Colorful Fossil Snail Shells
Finding organic compounds such as flexible dinosaur collagen and complete bone cells1,2 is becoming common, much to the shock and consternation...

NEWS
March 2024 ICR Wallpaper
"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6 NKJV) ICR March 2024 wallpaper is now available for mobile, tablet,...