Spacer DNA is a region of non-coding DNA between

gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

s. The terms intergenic spacer (IGS) or non-transcribed spacer (NTS) are used particularly for the spacer DNA between the many tandemly repeated copies of the

ribosomal RNA Ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) is a type of non-coding RNA which is the primary component of ribosomes, essential to all cells. rRNA is a ribozyme which carries out protein synthesis in ribosomes. Ribosomal RNA is transcribed from ribosomal ...

genes. In

bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...

, spacer DNA sequences are only a few

nucleotides Nucleotides are Organic compound, organic molecules composed of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both o ...

long. In eukaryotes, they can be extensive and include repetitive DNA, comprising the majority of the DNA of the genome. In

ribosomal DNA The ribosomal DNA (rDNA) consists of a group of ribosomal RNA encoding genes and related regulatory elements, and is widespread in similar configuration in all domains of life. The ribosomal DNA encodes the non-coding ribosomal RNA, integral struc ...

, there are spacers within and between gene clusters, called internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and external transcribed spacers (ETS), respectively. In

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...

s, the mitochondrial DNA genes generally have very short spacers. In

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

, mitochondrial DNA spacers are common and variable in length, and they may also be mobile. Due to the non-coding nature of spacer DNA, its nucleotide sequence changes much more rapidly over time than nucleotide sequences coding for genes that are subject to selective forces. Although spacer DNA might not have a function that depends on its nucleotide sequence, it may have sequence-independent functions. Spacer DNA has practical applications that enable researchers and scientists to examine interactions between CRISPR proteins and bacteriophages.

References

See also