Abnormal activity of non-coding DNA in pancreatic and other epithelial cancers.

In addition to our approximately 20,000 protein-coding genes, human DNA contains many 'non-coding' sequences that encode RNA products that are never translated into proteins.  The RNAs produced by these sequences are now known to regulate the acivity of protein-coding genes.

A team of U.S. researchers have shown that in many cancer types, some of these sequences are expressed much more highly than normal, an average of 40 times as much in pancreatic cancer.  Abnormal activity was also seen in lung, kidney, ovary, colon, and prostate cancer cells.  If verified, the new discovery could impact how cancer develops and how it is detected and diagnosed.