THE ROLE OF NON-CODING RNAs IN MAMMALIAN EYE DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION

The complete sequencing of the human genome represented one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of scientific research. One of the main outcomes of this effort was the evidence that the structure and composition of the genome is more complex than expected. Until very recently, it was believed that a functional gene was a DNA fragment that contained all the necessary information to produce a protein. It is now evident that there are fragments of the genome that, although do not produce proteins, exert an important role in regulating the function of many genes and proteins at the same time. These fragments are termed “non-coding genes” and they have recently been demonstrated to be essential for the formation of many organs of the body. To date, however, nothing is known about their function in the eye. To fill this gap of information, we propose to identify and study “non-coding genes” that work specifically in the eye and that may contribute to its formation and function, both in physiological and in pathological conditions.