A cassette gene includes a coding region plus a sequence called a recombination site that enables it to recognize and swap into a specific sequence called an integron. The recombination sites are similar overall and have an imperfect inverted repeat. Understanding how integrons work could lead to development of new, broader methods of combating antibiotic resistance, suggested Caporale. That was an ugly phrase. So-called 'junk' DNA includes signals for RNA processing and DNA replication.
Evidence shows that DNA repeats do indeed have meaning.
Their discovery revealed an entirely new class of mutation. Perhaps understanding the normal function of these repeated sequences will reveal how in excess they cause symptoms that usually involve the brain. Lively discussion toward the end of the meeting focused on short repeats called microsatellites, which occur in many gene complexes. Edward Trifonov, a structural biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, spoke of how microsatellites could modulate the mutability of protein-encoding genes, functioning in a manner analogous to tuning knobs on a stringed instrument. The idea is that changes in repeat numbers can control gene expression, allowing many nuances of a phenotype to emerge.