New research is revealing that inherited mental illnesses are promoted by alterations in DNA that were caused by viral infection of our ancestors over a million years ago.
A study shows alterations in DNA between genes can promote schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder.People understand that someone can be predisposed to mental illness by inheriting certain genes or gene variants, but new research is revealing that inherited mental illnesses are also promoted by alterations in our DNA that were caused by viral infection of our ancestors over a million years ago.
Genes are stretches of DNA that make all the proteins that build and run our bodies. Each gene is like a pearl on a necklace. While scientists first focused their search for the genetic basis for mental illnesses on genes , they neglected the strands of DNA between them. Those stretches of DNA between genes control how a gene is activated or suppressed.
The genetic instructions in DNA are the master ‘blueprint’ for making all the proteins in the body, and this vital code remains inside the cell’s nucleus. When a gene is turned on to make the protein it specifies, another molecule, RNA, makes a temporary copy of the gene and carries it out of the nucleus into the cell’s cytoplasm where specialized structures translate that RNA code to synthesize the protein specified by the gene.
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New genetic cause of intellectual disability potentially uncovered in 'junk DNA'Emily is a health news writer based in London, United Kingdom. She holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Durham University and a master's degree in clinical and therapeutic neuroscience from Oxford University. She has worked in science communication, medical writing and as a local news reporter while undertaking journalism training.
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