A Little Less Junk Found in DNA

Some 'Junk' DNA Is Important Guide For Nerve-cell Channel Production is the title of a Science News article which tells of the identification of an intron that helps insure the proper placing of BK channels. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are credited with the discovery. The intron plays a guiding role although it is not a part of the synthesized channel protein.

The location of the intron function is also of interest for it is outside the cell nucleus. Usually introns are excised in the nucleus before mRNA is routed outside the nucleus. Researchers from the same school had previously discovered that dendrites are capable of splicing mRNA.