Data published by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium indicate that somewhere between 113 and 223 genes
present in bacteria and in the human genome are absent in well - studied
organisms — such as the
yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans — that lie in between those two evolutionary extremes.
Although prions are infamous for causing Creutzfeld - Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow's disease, the
present study indicates that prions identified in
yeast, and possibly in plants, and other
organisms may be beneficial.