New tool enables scientists to interpret 'dark matter' DNA: Breakthrough technology opens the door to identifying new drug targets that could treat many genetic diseases
Gladstone Institutes
The computational method, called TargetFinder, can predict where non-coding DNA–the DNA that does not code for proteins–interacts with genes. Most genetic mutations that are associated with disease occur in enhancers, making them an incredibly important area of study, said senior author Katherine Pollard, PhD, a senior investigator at the Gladstone Institutes. When an enhancer is far away from the gene it affects, the two connect by forming a three-dimensional loop, like a bow on the genome. Using machine learning technology, the researchers analyzed hundreds of existing datasets from six different cell types to look for patterns in the genome that identify where a gene and enhancer interact. They discovered several patterns that exist on the loops that connect enhancers to genes.