Gene Folding Provides New Insight Into Disease Risk

Gap regions within the folds of DNA play a critical part in the expression of certain genes that influence disease risk--many of which are thought to increase the risk of arthritis, psoriasis and Type 1 diabetes, according to new research.

"It used to be the case that researchers would seek to identify a gene which caused a particular disease by a 'nearest gene' approach, to the gap regions," said lead study author Dr. Stephen Eyre of the University of Manchester, in a news release. "The reality is much more complex than that. Not only do the gaps between genes have an effect but, as we show in the new study, the gaps don't necessarily affect the nearest gene -- they can work over longer distances to turn distant genes on or off."

The way it works is that two metre DNA are folded so that they fit within a cell causing gap regions that close to the ‘more important' regions that control the level of genes. In certain parts of the folded DNA, regions increase risk for certain diseases when they ‘meet' at the same region, researchers say.

The study results show how some genes may increase the risk of more than one disease based on how they are regulated by the gaps and where they are in the DNA structure. Fortunately, this knowledge could, in fact, lead to a greater understanding of the diseases and insights into potential treatments.

In the future, researchers are hoping to identify more complex interactions that involve different types of cells in order to build a more complete picture of how genes and gaps interact to increase disease risk.

The study is published in Nature Communications.

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