Local modifications in histone proteins alter DNA packing density in the cell nucleus to regulate gene activity. They also form the basis of a code in which the significance of a given pattern or motif depends on its broader ...
Biotechnology
Jan 28, 2016
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5
DNA represents a dynamic form of information, balancing efficient storage and access requirements. Packaging approximately 1.8m of DNA into something as small as a cell nucleus is no mean feat, but unpacking it again to access ...
Biotechnology
Nov 6, 2015
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35
Research on a modified protein around which DNA is wrapped sheds light on how gene regulation is linked to aging and longevity in nematodes, fruit flies and possibly humans.
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 17, 2015
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47
Characteristics passed between generations are not decided solely by DNA, but can be brought about by other material in cells, new research shows.
Biotechnology
Apr 2, 2015
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Humans may inevitably explore other planets, moons, and asteroids within our solar system. And although life on Earth has adapted to our planet's gravitational field, this looming possibility begs the question: How will animals ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 10, 2015
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30
University of North Carolina scientists have created a new research tool, based on the fruit fly, to help crack the histone code. This research tool can be used to better understand the function of histone proteins, which ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 10, 2015
1
412
The "Goldilocks effect" in fruit fly embryos may be more intricate than previously thought. It's been known that specific proteins, called histones, must exist within a certain range—if there are too few, a fruit fly's ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 12, 2014
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0
(Phys.org) —Monozygotic twins look more similar when they are young than later in life. One of the reasons for this is epigenetic change in the form of chemical modifications of the DNA or its packaging proteins. Environmental ...
Biotechnology
Jun 2, 2014
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0
Every cell in our body has exactly the same DNA, yet every cell is different. A cell's identity is determined by the subset of genes that it activates. But how does a cell know which genes to turn off and which to turn on? ...
Biotechnology
Mar 13, 2014
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1
(Phys.org) —Last month, researchers reported the creation of the first primitive brain-like structures made from human stem cells. To create the complex morphology of these cerebral organoids, cells within a proliferating ...
