Gene Enhancers Are Important Despite Apparent Redundancy
Though once thought to be “junk DNA,” enhancers are extremely important, regulating the expression of specific genes that ultimately determine a cell’s properties and functions. However, there are many more enhancers than genes and their relationship is unclear. A team of scientists in the Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology Division have turned their attention to this relationship and the overall importance of enhancers to development. By better linking the genomic complement of an organism with its expressed characteristics, their work offers new insights that further the growing field of systems biology, which seeks to gain a predictive understanding of living systems.
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