Scientists reveal structure of gateways to gene control

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This artists illustration shows a portion of the genome. A long DNA molecule (red cord) is wrapped up into nucleosome structures with a histone-protein core (white spheres). The gateway to gene transcription spans the control switch (coils) on the le ...
This artist's illustration shows a portion of the genome. A long DNA molecule (red cord) is wrapped up into nucleosome structures with a histone-protein core (white spheres). The gateway to gene transcription spans the control switch (coils) on the left nucleosome to the beginning of the gene (green arrow) on the right nucleosome. Credit: Christina Ullman

Scientists at Penn State University will reveal in the 29 March 2007 issue of the journal Nature the first complete high-resolution map of important structures that control how genes are packaged and regulated throughout an entire genome. "For the first time, we are seeing in very high resolution on a genome-wide scale how nucleosomes control the expression of an organism's genes," said B. Franklin Pugh, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and the study's lead investigator.


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