Hox, Senseless And The Molecular Switch That Helps Decide Cell Type
Researchers have discovered a central molecular switch in fruit fly embryos that opens new avenues for studying the causes of birth defects and cancer in humans. Writing about their study in the Aug. 12 Developmental Cell, scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center determined the switch to be a main tuning mechanism for instructing cells whether to form sensory nerves or blood cells in different parts of the body. The molecular switch occurs when two central control genes, Hox and Senseless (Sens), compete for influence to regulate genetic signals that instruct cells to differentiate and begin tissue and/or blood formation, said Brian Gebelein, Ph.D., a researcher in the division of Developmental Biology at Cincinnati Children's and corresponding author of the study. Read More...
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