Repurposing the dark genome. IV - noncoding proteins

Abstract

The dark genome comprising of non-expressing, non-translating, and extinct DNA sequences has remained a largely unexplored genomic space. Using computational and experimental approaches, novel insights into the dark matter genome have recently been gained, revealing the presence of a vast and unexplored resource. Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) refers to a class of RNA molecules that do not encode proteins but play important regulatory roles in the cell. We asked if it was possible to make functional peptides and proteins from ncRNA leading to a new biological insight and applications? Here we present initial computational data in support of making functional noncoding proteins (NCP) from ncRNA sequences. Different types of non-coding genomic sequences originating from Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Homo sapiens were studied to understand sequence composition, secondary structure, and physiochemical properties of NCPs. This work builds the foundation for experimentally characterizing the first-in-the-class non-coding proteins leading to a novel insights and applications.