Abstract
Satellite DNA arrays barcode chromosomes to regulate genes In this piece, Dr Helen Rowe summarizes how arrays or strings of multi-copy satellite DNAs can barcode chromosomes to regulate cell fate, by acting as molecular switches. Rowe explores Dark matter in relation to DNA and its unknown function and that makes up a huge 98% of our genome. Intense research in this area has revealed that dark matter contributes to gene-regulatory networks that serve to control where and when sets of genes are switched ON or OFF. Specialised cell types work by each expressing a unique set of genes: for example, a cell that functions in the adaptive immune system, such as an activated T cell, will switch on a different subset of genes than a neuron in the brain. Likewise, development is a highly regulated process, whereby different sets of genes are progressively switched on in different tissues. Thus, the dark matter within our genome contributes to the control of gene regulatory networks and biological systems.
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