Researchers have discovered a cellular mechanism that helps nocturnal mammals see in the dark. Mice, cats, deer, lemurs, and other mammals that are active at night remodel the DNA within their eyes to turn photoreceptor cells into light-collecting lenses, according to a linkurl:study;http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674(09)00137-8 published today (Apr. 16) in__ Cell__.
In nearly all eukaryotic nuclei, chromatin -- the structural building block of chromosomes -- is spatially separated into distinct compartments. Condensed, non-coding heterochromatin is usually localized to the periphery of the nucleus, while extended, active euchromatin typically resides in the nuclear interior. This "conventional" pattern is nearly universal, and probably helps cells regulate essential nuclear functions such as how and when genes are expressed. But some nuclei are special. In 2006, a team led by linkurl:Didier Devys,;http://www.igbmc.fr/recherche/Dep_GF/Eq_LTora/index_uk.html a molecular biologist at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France, linkurl:showed;http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0040067 that mouse...
 |
Interested in reading more?
Become a Member of
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
