Gene expression can be turned on and off like a switch, or it can be finely adjusted , as with a volume control knob. Dr Garth Ilsley, research scientist in Prof. Nick Luscombe's unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), has developed a mathematical model that shows how to predictably tune gene expression. This was validated experimentally using a technique for adjusting gene expression in fruit fly embryos pioneered by Dr Justin Crocker in the group of Dr David Stern at Janelia Research Campus in the U.S. This study, published in Nature Genetics, has important implications in cellular and developmental biology, with potential applications in stem cell reprogramming and regenerative medicine.
↧