Pseudogenes: Pseudo or Real Functional Elements?

Wen Li; Wei Yang; Xiu-Jie Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jgg.2013.03.003

Volume 40 Issue 4

Apr. 2013

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Article Navigation > Journal of Genetics and Genomics > 2013 > 40(4): 171-177

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Pseudogenes: Pseudo or Real Functional Elements?

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2013.03.003

Wen Li^{a, b},
Wei Yang^{a, b},
Xiu-Jie Wang^a

a
State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
b
Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

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Corresponding author: E-mail address: xjwang@genetics.ac.cn (Xiu-Jie Wang)
Received Date: 2013-02-28
Accepted Date: 2013-03-04
Rev Recd Date: 2013-03-04

Available Online: 2013-03-14

Publish Date: 2013-04-20

Abstract

Abstract

Pseudogenes are genomic remnants of ancient protein-coding genes which have lost their coding potentials through evolution. Although broadly existed, pseudogenes used to be considered as junk or relics of genomes which have not drawn enough attentions of biologists until recent years. With the broad applications of high-throughput experimental techniques, growing lines of evidence have strongly suggested that some pseudogenes possess special functions, including regulating parental gene expression and participating in the regulation of many biological processes. In this review, we summarize some basic features of pseudogenes and their functions in regulating development and diseases. All of these observations indicate that pseudogenes are not purely dead fossils of genomes, but warrant further exploration in their distribution, expression regulation and functions. A new nomenclature is desirable for the currently called ‘pseudogenes’ to better describe their functions.
- Pseudogene,
- Categorization,
- Origination,
- Function

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References(73)

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