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Super-resolution microscopy illuminates associations between chromosomes

Scientists have used super-resolution microscopy to identify physical connections between five human chromosomes, revealing a shared sequence encoding ribosomal DNA that holds the chromosomes together. The findings suggest that these inter-chromosomal linkages are pervasive in healthy and diseased tissue, and may play a role in chromos...

SourceStowers Institute for Medical Research·JournalJournal of Cell Biology·DateJul 3, 2019

Finding the proteins that unpack DNA

Researchers developed a high-throughput method to screen and categorize transcription factors based on their ability to displace nucleosomes. The study identified both new and previously known nucleosome-displacing factors, which tend to be highly abundant in the nucleus and bind tightly to DNA.

SourcePenn State·JournalMolecular Cell·DateJul 12, 2018

Gene regulators bind promiscuously, but often do nothing

A recent study found that many interactions detected by ChIP-chip are functionally irrelevant. The researchers discovered a clear relationship between the number of factor molecules bound at a given site and its role in gene regulation, suggesting that DNA sites with low-level binding may play no role in regulating gene expression.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Biology·DateFeb 11, 2008