'Vestigal' Proteins

[crispy]

Do we know of any genes in any organism that is being transcribed, although it does not have play any role in the organism?

[vid]

Aren't such genes subject to destructive mutations, not selected out by natural selection? AFAIK genes which fall out of use detoriate quickly, because selection doesn't "protect" them

[Abel]

Books by Richard Dawkins will enlighten you about genes that are present in even the human genome that have no apparent role in the subsistence of the organism. Try The Selfish Gene first. It's easy reading and entertaining. You'll enjoy it.

[uberhobo]

It's hard to say, since there are lots of proteins whose function we just don't know. They could be useless, for all we know. The proteins that make up the amyloid fibrils found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients have no known primary function when they're not busy killing people.

Edit to add: It'd be pretty hard to seek out a protein that doesn't do anything at all, since we usually identify enzymes and proteins by what they do. The protein equivalent of the lazy brother who lives on the couch but we can't bring ourselves to kick out would be pretty difficult to find. My money would be on their genes being quickly silenced, though.

[Tuffa Nuff]

I recommend the book: "The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution", by Sean B. Carroll. Here's some links if you're interested...

http://seanbcarroll.com/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0393061639

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0393061639/ref=sib_dp_pt#

http://www.hhmi.org/research/investigators/carroll_bio.html

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/316/5830/1427

The last one is a side issue, in which Carroll opposes Behe.