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Scientists at Cornell University have discovered BC200, a human brain gene with a never-before-seen double life — it plays a role in neuronal function while still behaving like a "jumping gene." Unlike most genes derived from mobile DNA, BC200 never lost its ability to move through the genome, and was even found embedded inside a human poxvirus. Its abnormal expression in tumors and Alzheimer's brains hints at potential disease links.
Cornell University researchers have identified something genomics has never seen before: a human gene that both serves a biological function and retains the ability to jump around the genome. Published in Science, the study centers on BC200, a gene expressed primarily in neurons that traces its origins to a transposon — a "jumping gene" — from millions of years ago. While nearly all transposon-derived genes lose their mobility once repurposed by evolution, BC200 somehow kept both traits intact.
The discovery came after researchers found BC200 embedded inside the molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), a human poxvirus, suggesting the gene leapt from infected skin cells into the virus — a rare genomic feat. BC200 is also found at low levels in sperm and eggs, raising the possibility that its jumps could be passed to future generations.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: Understanding a gene that bridges mobile DNA and brain function could open new doors in neuroscience, cancer biology, and our grasp of how the genome evolves — and misfires.
