Robert Locklear: In fruit fly and human genetics, timing is everything

Thursday, May 25, 2017

In fruit fly and human genetics, timing is everything

Using fruit flies, researchers have discovered a cascade of molecular signals that program gene activity to drive the fly from one stage of maturation to the next, like a baby turning into an adult. Part of this programming involves alterations to the way DNA is packaged. Those alterations open certain regions of DNA to allow gene activity and close off other regions to prevent gene activity. These changes to DNA accessibility occur in sequence.