Intracellular Proteolysis—Garbage Disposal? Rubbish!

Disposal of Night-Soil and Rubbish by Compost System

Satellite DNA in Plants: More than Just Rubbish.

For decades, satellite DNAs have been the hidden part of genomes. Initially considered as junk DNA, there is currently an increasing appreciation of the functional significance of satellite DNA repeats and of their sequences. Satellite DNA families accumulate in the heterochromatin in different parts of the eukaryotic chromosomes, mainly in pericentromeric and subtelomeric regions, but they als...

Intracellular Modulation, Extracellular Disposal and Serum Increase of MiR-150 Mark Lymphocyte Activation

Activated lymphocytes release nano-sized vesicles (exosomes) containing microRNAs that can be monitored in the bloodstream. We asked whether elicitation of immune responses is followed by release of lymphocyte-specific microRNAs. We found that, upon activation in vitro, human and mouse lymphocytes down-modulate intracellular miR-150 and accumulate it in exosomes. In vivo, miR-150 levels increas...

Rubbish DNA: The functionless fraction of the human genome

Because genomes are products of natural processes rather than " intelligent design, " all genomes contain functional and nonfunctional parts. The fraction of the genome that has no biological function is called " rubbish DNA. " Rubbish DNA consists of " junk DNA, " i.e., the fraction of the genome on which selection does not operate, and " garbage DNA, " i.e., sequences that lower the fitness o...

Cancer as rubbish: donation of tumor tissue for research.

Tissue banking (or biobanking), thought by many to be an essential form of medical research, has raised a number of ethical issues that highlight a need to understand the beliefs and values of tissue donors, including the motivations underlying consent or refusal to donate. Data from our qualitative study of the legal, social, and ethical issues surrounding tumor banking in New South Wales, Aus...