March 22, 2023

The functions of human de novo originated proteins start to be revealed

A new study reveals the functional importance of human de novo originated proteins.

Proteins restricted to a given species or lineage are mysterious. Many of them have emerged de novo from ancestral non-coding genomic regions rather than from pre-existing genes.

A new study by Vakirlis et al. shows that a large portion of the human de novo originated proteins are associated with phenotypic effects, accelerating our understanding on the functional importance of this novel class of proteins.

See the full commentary here .

Papadopoulos C, Albà MM. Newly evolved genes in the human lineage are functional. Trends Genet. 2023 Apr;39(4):235-236.