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Haben repetitive DNA-Sequenzen biologische Funktionen?

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Abstract

By DNA reassociation kinetics it is known that the eucaryotic genome consists of non-repetitive DNA, middle-repetitive DNA and highly repetitive DNA. Whereas the majority of protein-coding genes is located on non-repetitive DNA, repetitive DNA forms a constitutive part of eucaryotic DNA and its amount in most cases equals or even substantially exceeds that of non-repetitive DNA. During the past years a large body of data on repetitive DNA has accumulated and these have prompted speculations ranging from specific roles in the regulation of gene expression to that of a selfish entity with inconsequential functions. The following article summarizes recent findings on structural, transcriptional and evolutionary aspects and, although by no means being proven, some possible biological functions are discussed.

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  1. Institut für Molekularbiologie und Biochemie der Freien Universität, D-1000, Berlin

    Maliyakal E. John & Walter Knöchel

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  1. Maliyakal E. John
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  2. Walter Knöchel
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John, M.E., Knöchel, W. Haben repetitive DNA-Sequenzen biologische Funktionen?. Naturwissenschaften 70, 241–246 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00405441

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