Research suggests a second, RNA component of genome

from the beyond-the-proteome dept.
An article in the 12 January 2002 issue of Science News ("Biological Dark Matter: Newfound RNA suggests a hidden complexity inside cells", by John Travis) summarizes research done over the past decade or so that indicates terrestrial biology may have a second component to its genetic systems that expresses functional RNA, rather than messenger RNA that guides the synthesis of proteins. Many previously unrecognized gene sequences apparently encode RNA molecules that have important regulatory and developmental functions.