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The article focuses on the DNA sequence variants that influence gene expression and disease risk in the U.S. It is pointed out that the effects of variations in DNA sequence are often subtle, such as altered levels of gene expression. Moreover, it is said that identifying those DNA sequences that determine levels of expression across individuals could have great medical potential. It also discusses one paper that illustrates the identification of DNA sequences which looks at the two major contractile proteins of the human heart.

The article presents a medical study conducted by Tyler Jacks and his colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology pertaining to the gene that protects against cancer in the U.S. It states that the team studied mouse models of cancer in which one of both copies of Dicer1, a gene that encodes a protein that is vital for processing fragments of RNA called microRNA is deleted. From the research, the team found out that deleting a single copy of Dicer1 led to more tumors, lower levels of microRNA and reduced survival and a full loss of Dicer1 blocked the formation of tumor because some level of its protein is required for cell growth or viability.