Tracking genes' remote controls
Monday, January 9, 2012 - 11:02
in Biology & Nature
As an embryo develops, different genes are turned on in different cells, to form muscles, neurons and other bodily parts. Inside each cell's nucleus, genetic sequences known as enhancers act like remote controls, switching genes on and off. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, can now see and predict exactly when each remote control is itself activated, in a real embryo. Their work is published today in Nature Genetics.