BIOLOGICAL FLASH DRIVE: A NEW LOOK AT THE FUNCTIONS OF DNA AND HISTONES

Introduction. The role of DNA in the transfer of genetic information is well known and well studied. However, we tried to actualize several issues that remain not fully resolved and offer the new vision of the structural and functional unit of bioinformation in living organisms. Aim. To highlight and analyze modern ideas about the biological information of living organisms and selectively focus attention on individual problematic issues of molecular genetics that require further research. Materials and methods. The search and selection of publications was carried out using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases using the following terms: DNA, proteins, histones, peptides, nucleosome, bioinformation. The full texts of the publications were studied and individual problematic fragments were highlighted in the understanding of the transmission of biological information at the current stage, which can be solved by clarifying the role of histones in the implementation of genetic functions. Results. Based on the fact that proteins play a key role in the synthesis of nucleotides, but like peptides, they are not direct chemical components of nucleotides, the authors propose to consider histones not as donor sources of genes for DNA, but as primary true microchips of vital information, which is packed into a DNA helix as a protective shell. Recent studies of chromatin containing histone variants are revealing new details that shed light on how variant-specific features affect chromatin structure and function. One of the proposed mechanisms that cells can use to regulate chromatin and gene expression is to replace canonical histones with their variants at certain loci to achieve a functional result. However, in our understanding of the functionality of histones, everything can change fundamentally if we imagine that DNA does not take over, does not fix in itself and does not give off genetic sequences as an actual substrate of information, but is essentially a shell for histones, protecting them from influences and preserving their spatial configuration and, accordingly, a set of information codes. That is, DNA is a kind of “flash drive” in which the true primary sources of bioinformation are stored – histone peptides. Conclusions. This new vision can lay the foundation for expanding the horizons of understanding molecular genetics, which is capable of immeasurably increasing the opportunities of modern biology, medicine and bioinformatics.