Magic embryology: control of differentiation (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, June 14, 2021, 19:08 (1259 days ago) @ David Turell

A specific molecule tur ns on a specific segment of DNA:

https://phys.org/news/2021-06-cell.html

"A Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) study in Cell Reports led by Stephen Duncan, D.Phil., examines how an endodermal cell—a type of developing cell—becomes a liver cell and not some other type of cell. Duncan and his team found that the development of naive cells into differentiated liver cells was dependent on the transcription factor GATA6.

"'What we found is that this specific transcription factor, GATA6, has an unusual mechanism because it can recognize regulatory regions on DNA before a specific gene is turned on," explained Duncan. "It doesn't directly turn on expression of a gene but marks a gene as being capable of being turned on if the cell encounters the right developmental cues."

"'We found that, in the absence of GATA6, regions surrounding genes remained closed and inaccessible," said Duncan. "GATA6 can open up chromatin around regulatory regions of genes that are ultimately expressed as the cell begins to differentiate.'"

Comment: this finding is not surprising. We can see what works, but do not know how it works or why it works. Our knowledge of genomics is still on the outside looking in.