Human Genome Contaminated With Mycoplasma DNA

KentuckyFC writes "The published human genome is contaminated with DNA sequences from mycoplasma bacteria, according to bioinformatics researchers who blame an epidemic of mycoplasma contamination in molecular biology labs around the world. The researchers say they've also found mycoplasma DNA in two commercially available human DNA chips made by biotech companies for measuring levels of human gene expression. So anybody using these chips to measure human gene expression is also unknowingly measuring mycoplasma gene expression too. The mycoplasma genes are clearly successful in reproducing themselves in silico raising the possibility that we're seeing the beginnings of an entirely new kind of landscape of infection. One option to combat this kind of virtual infection is to protect databases with the genomic version of antivirus software, a kind of virtual immune system. But this in itself could make things worse by triggering an evolutionary arms race that selects genes most capable of beating the safeguards."

Comments

Re:Proof title please

[stillnotelf]

The human genome is surely highly contaminated, just not with mycoplasma. Endogenous retroviruses, retrotransposons, repetitive elements galore, on the other hand...

Mindless drivel

[Iron (III) Chloride]

I don't want to be excessively harsh but the summary was seriously a bunch of drivel. In silico either means it's data on the computer, or that you are simulating a biological process computationally. But as other posters have mentioned, unless you are purposely simulating evolution, mycoplasma sequences in your human databases isn't going to cause any "arms race." Yes, it seriously screws with validity, but that's a completely different issue.

This is a generalization, and no offense to fellow Slashdotters, but in my experience most of the computer scientists that I've met have a really crappy understanding of even basic biology. CS concepts don't directly translate to biology ones.