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Hyderabad: Researchers from the city- based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) have identified non- coding elements in the genome conserved only in humans and primates, but not across other mammals, which can help in diagnosis. and treatment of complex diseases in human beings.

The researchers studied regions of the genome that lack protein-coding genes but control activity of nearby or distant genes in humans and primates.Although the non-coding regions of genome evolve rapidly, researchers found hundreds of thousands of regions that are unchanged specifically in humans and primates throughout 65 million years of evolution.

“These regions were previously thought to be non-functional but such high level of conservation specifically across primates signifies they are responsible for development of characteristic features of humans, apes and monkeys that are not found in other animals,” the researchers said.

The researchers also found that mutations in these conserved non-coding regions often led to disorders including high cholesterol levels. “Understanding the effects of genetic variants is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment of genetic diseases,” they said. The study was published in Nature by an international team of researchers including Dr G. Umapathy, Shivakumara Manu and Mihir Trivedi from CCMB.