<< DNA content of our genomes resembles a complex biological language, composed of coding regions and regulatory regions. Although protein-coding regions in DNA could be compared to a traffic signal – utilizing a simple stop or go message – the regulatory regions in DNA are more like poetry. “The regulatory sites in DNA operate like a light switch to turn a gene on and off. In animals, it’s extremely complex,” said David Arnosti (..) “There might be hundreds of protein factors in the cell that bind to the gene and impact activity. And there might be hundreds of binding places.” He compares the “language” used in these regulatory sites to poetry. “It may be Emily Dickinson, or Shakespeare or Allen Ginsberg; but all are using ‘words’ to evoke thoughts and emotions, to control the message” >>
Val Osowski, Layne Cameron. DO GENES EXPRESS THEMSELVES THROUGH POETRY? A new study from Michigan State University makes inroads in learning to “read” the genome, a key goal of modern biology. Published: May 9, 2016
http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2016/do-genes-express-themselves-through-poetry/
To understand transcription factor interactions on enhancers << (..) an extensive, quantitative perturbation analysis targeting the dorsal-ventral patterning gene regulatory network (GRN) controlled by Drosophila NF-κB homolog Dorsal [was used to test] the effects of cooperativity, repression, and factor potency >>
Rupinder Sayal, Jacqueline M Dresch, et al. Quantitative perturbation-based analysis of gene expression predicts enhancer activity in early Drosophila embryo. eLife 2016;5:e08445. Published May 6, 2016
