Phys.org August 8, 2023
The human genome encodes approximately 20,000 proteins, many still uncharacterized. It has become clear that scientific research tends to focus on well-studied proteins, leading to a concern that poorly understood genes are unjustifiably neglected. To address this, researchers in the UK have developed a publicly available and customizable “Unknome database” that ranks proteins based on how little is known about them. They applied RNA interference (RNAi) in Drosophila to 260 unknown genes that are conserved between flies and humans. Knockdown of some genes resulted in loss of viability, and functional screening of the rest revealed hits for fertility, development, locomotion, protein quality control, and resilience to stress. CRISPR/Cas9 gene disruption validated a component of Notch signaling and 2 genes contributing to male fertility. According to the researchers their work illustrates the importance of poorly understood genes, provides a resource to accelerate future research, and highlights a need to support database curation to ensure that misannotation does not erode our awareness of our own ignorance… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Investigation of wing growth hit CG11103 using CRISPR/Cas9 gene disruption… Credit: PLOS Biology, August 8, 2023