Encoding (semiotics)

Encoding, in semiotics, is the process of creating a message for transmission by an addresser to an addressee. The complementary process – interpreting a message received from an addresser – is called decoding.

Discussion

The process of message exchanges, or semiosis, is a key characteristic of human life depending on rule-governed and learned codes that, for the most part, unconsciously guide the communication of meaning between individuals. These interpretive frameworks or linking grids were termed "myths" by Roland Barthes (1915-1980) and pervade all aspects of culture from personal conversation to the mass media's output (for code exchange through the mass media, see Americanism).

ENCODE

The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) is a public research project launched by the US National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in September 2003.

Intended as a follow-up to the Human Genome Project (Genomic Research), the ENCODE project aims to identify all functional elements in the human genome.

The project involves a worldwide consortium of research groups, and data generated from this project can be accessed through public databases.

Motivation and significance

Humans are estimated to have approximately 20,000 protein-coding genes, which account for about 1.5% of DNA in the human genome. The primary goal of the ENCODE project is to determine the role of the remaining component of the genome, much of which was traditionally regarded as "junk."

Approximately 90% of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the human genome (that have been linked to various diseases by genome-wide association studies) are found outside of protein-coding regions.

The activity and expression of protein-coding genes can be modulated by the regulome - a variety of DNA elements, such as promoter, transcriptional regulatory sequences and regions of chromatin structure and histone modification. It is thought that changes in the regulation of gene activity can disrupt protein production and cell processes and result in disease (ENCODE Project Background). Determining the location of these regulatory elements and how they influence gene transcription could reveal links between variations in the expression of certain genes and the development of disease.