True or False Non-protein-coding regions of the genome do not contain any functionally important elements, and thus are called “junk DNA”.
F
False. Non-protein-coding regions of the genome were once referred to as “junk DNA” because of the belief that they did not serve any functional purpose. However, research studies in the past few decades have shown that non-protein-coding regions of the genome are involved in essential regulatory functions. For example, non-protein-coding regions of the genome may include regulatory elements such as promoters, enhancers, silencers, and other sequences that are involved in gene expression and regulation. Additionally, non-protein-coding regions of the genome may also contain structural elements that are important for maintaining chromosome structure and stability. Therefore, non-protein-coding regions of the genome are also referred to as “non-coding DNA” rather than junk DNA, as they do play a functional role in genome function and regulation.