Silence of the genes

A molecular mechanism by which gene silencing is regulated at the genome-wide level in plants has been uncovered by a research team led by Motoaki Seki of the RIKEN Plant Science Center, Yokohama, Japan. The researchers propose that a similar mechanism may also help to protect plant genomes from the potentially harmful effects of DNA elements, such as transposons, or ‘jumping genes’. “If left unhindered, transposable elements can cause havoc in the genome, for example by inserting themselves into essential genes,” says Seki.

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