Release date: 2015-09-22
Healthy people who have tried genetic testing must have encountered such a situation.
The test report states: "The probability of XX cancer in normal people is 7%. You have a XX mutation in your body. The probability of cancer is 14%, and 12% may be bald."
There must be a question in your heart, "Do I have cancer?"
When we talk about genetic testing, we are talking about DNA testing. We ignore RNA, which is an important part of the missing gene detection. However, this ring may tell you if you are sick.
Today I introduce you to a company that also does genetic testing. It is Cofactor Genomics in California. The reason why the company was introduced was because it set off a key link in the genetic testing. This move may open another precedent in the field of genetic testing – circRNA diagnosis. As for what circRNA diagnosis is, press the table first, you will know later.
The reason we noticed the company was that on July 21 this year, Cofactor Genomics announced that it had received $1.5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Of course, $1.5 million is nothing for a biotech company. However, I believe that the symbolic significance of NIH funding is far greater than the benefits of this money. The reason for NIH-funded Cofactor Genomics is also simple. More and more studies have shown that circRNA has a significant relationship with diseases including coronary artery disease, Parkinson's disease, mental illness, and cancer. Studies have shown that circRNA can be used as a biomarker to diagnose certain diseases.
Ok, let's take a look at what circRNA diagnosis is and how important it is.
In fact, introducing this company made me a headache. In our country, everyone has not yet understood the diagnosis of DNA, and now there is a diagnosis of circRNA, I really don't know where to start.
Now everyone basically knows that our illness and death are related to genes. But the thing of genes is information, and it is not directly involved in life and death. This information is transmitted along the DNA→RNA→protein, first-class level, and finally by the protein to achieve our life function (for example, your nails, your muscles, mainly composed of proteins). If you still don't understand, I can only give you an analogy.
If you simplify the structure of a company into three levels, the top decision-making level, the middle management layer, and the following execution layer. Then, the company's information (or decision) will flow along this level, and finally complete the task. Now we use DNA testing to diagnose diseases, which is similar to analyzing the company's upper decision documents to see if the task can be completed. If there is a problem with the upper decision file, the task will not be completed. This is why DNA testing can diagnose a disease. A friend who is alive will definitely ask, if there is no problem with the decision documents of the upper level, will the task be completed? Of course not, do you still have to look at the middle management? If there is a problem with the management here, the task will not be completed. This is the defect of DNA detection, which is the advantage of RNA detection.
We know that there can be only one person at a company's decision-making level, but the management is a large group of people. The same is true in our cells. DNA is DNA, but RNA has a lot of help. We don't take that much for the time being. First, because this article is not involved, it is afraid to stun everyone. This article only talks about mRNA (messenger RNA, messenger RNA), circRNA (circular RNA) and miRNA (microRNA).
If we compare mRNA to the management layer that directly orders the protein, then miRNA and circRNA are the assistants ordered. However, miRNA is a conservative civil servant. It always says "the main public (mRNA), this thing can't be done!"; circRNA is a radical military officer, always said "the main public (mRNA), I will swear to support you. "However, it is necessary to affirm here that not all "masters" have "strategists". As for how the "professor" of the "governor" came, why come, this is probably only known to the Creator.)
When circRNA is absent, miRNA sticks to the corresponding mRNA to prevent protein production.
CircRNA appears, dragging away miRNA, mRNA synthesis protein
mRNA does not have the ability to think like humans. It doesn't know whether it should be like a son-in-law to make a brainless protein to work. However, if a conservative civilian miRNA has been holding his thigh, then the mRNA has no time to make protein, and things can't be done (the terminology is called "gene expression is suppressed"); if the radical military circRNA comes over to stick to the mRNA The miRNAs in the body are all dragged away, and the mRNA will immediately produce the protein, and the protein will start working in no right or wrong (the terminology is "the inhibition of the gene is released"). Do you understand now?
Let's take a look at a few specific examples. Let's look at the relationship between circRNA and miRNA and cancer.
The BCL2 gene is an oncogene that is closely related to the development of leukemia, lymphoma and prostate cancer. Under normal circumstances, the mRNA expression of BCL2 gene is bound by the corresponding miRNA, so the gene is not expressed and the cancer does not occur; but if the corresponding circRNA appears, the miRNA is abducted alive and the mRNA of BCL2 gene begins. Women are making human-like proteins, and these proteins promote cell cancer, and tragedies occur.
Let's take a look at the famous tumor suppressor gene P53. Many cancers are related to the inability of its lipoprotein to synthesize (of course, there are many reasons for the loss of P53 protein function, we will not introduce them one by one). Now studies have found miRNAs that drag the P53 gene mRNA. At this time, if the corresponding circRNA appears, the P53 gene mRNA can successfully produce proteins, and cell cancer will be prevented.
It is not difficult to see from the above two examples that circRNA has no good or bad points. The final circRNA deactivates the inhibition of gene expression by miRNA, and the consequences are directly related to the function of the corresponding gene.
Now you can probably understand that circRNA detection can diagnose the cause of the disease. If you understand, but feel that the analogy, the examples are not rigorous, please do not pick the thorns, I do not accept the thorns. You know it.
However, there may be another question in your heart. "Since circRNA is so important, you have already done it early. How can you start testing this now?"
This is also aggrieved, I really don't blame the scientists! In fact, circRNA was discovered in the human body as early as 1991, but at the time I thought that this guy was too rare. It has been ignored by everyone until 2012, when Julia Salzman of Stanford University discovered that circRNA exists in large numbers in the human body. This change in textbooks is a reality. Then in 2013, two articles on heavyweight research on circRNA function were published in Nature. The upsurge in the study of circRNA has opened up, and more and more studies have shown that circRNA is associated with many diseases.
Founded in 2008, Cofactor Genomics was founded by scientists involved in the Human Genome Project. They are mainly engaged in RNA sequencing and have accumulated a lot of sequencing experience over the years. Then, in the context of the current study of circRNA, Cofactor Genomics took the lead in this year's transformation, hoping to use circRNA to diagnose disease. Of course, Cofactor Genomics' products are still in the research and development stage, but the first phase of research and development has been successfully completed, and NIH is funding their second phase of research and development. It is expected that there will be products on the market next year.
Of course, you should not think that I am demeaning DNA detection. In fact, DNA detection is as important as RNA detection. CircRNA diagnosis is an important supplement to DNA diagnosis.
Finally, I wish Cofactor Genomics company to develop smoothly, and the products will be in the morning market for the benefit of mankind.
Source: Singularity Network
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