Scientists identify molecular events that drive cell senescence
...corporation of proliferation-associated genes into heterochromatin could contribute to the irreversible cell cycle arrest characteristic of senescence. We are interested in defining the molecular events leading to these changes in chromatin structure in senescent cells," explains study leader Dr. Peter D. Adams from...Fox Chase Cancer Center scientists discover key proteins linked to aging and cancer
...atin structure, called SAHF (senescence-associated heterochromatin foci), silences the genes that promote the cells' growth. Adams' discovery reveals the mechanism of SAHF formation.SAHF are domains of densely packed chromatin that repress activity of the genes that normally drive cell proliferation. Adams and cow...Heterochromatin assembly in S. pombe
... an S. pombe ubiquitin ligase that is required for heterochromatin formation and gene silencing. The authors purified the heterochromatin assembly protein, Rik1, along with two novel Rik-1 associated proteins that proved essential for H3-...Zeroing in on progeria: How mutant lamins cause premature aging
...in normal female cells. One of the hallmarks of Xi heterochromatin is its association with proteins known as methylated histones. In the cells from a female HGPS patient, the researchers found that levels of this molecular hallmark and of an enzyme required for histone methylation of Xi are sharply lower. The secon...Washington University's Sarah Elgin is re-funded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute
...Washington University, her research has focused on heterochromatin formation and gene silencing, critical to the function of genomes in multicellular organisms. Elgin served as director for Washington University's HHMI Undergraduate Biological Science Education Program from 1992 to 2004. In addition, she began a Sci...Regulating the nuclear architecture of the cell
... of California at Berkeley. The epigenetics of heterochromatin Controlling functions of the cell and organism ...he DNA sequence. The chromosomal material known as heterochromatin mediates gene silencing, chromosome inheritance, and other processes. Karpen and Peng have identifie...St. Jude study yields secrets of chromosome movement
...a specialized, tightly packaged form of DNA called heterochromatin at the part of the chromosome called the centromer...es are joined before the cell divides. Centromeric heterochromatin helps to yoke together the sister chromatids of each chromosome pair as they line up in the center o......-poor DNA found in regions of chromosomes known as heterochromatin was called "junk." Like dark matter in the universe, the true nature of heterochromatin was unknown. Now members of the Drosophila Heterochromatin Genome Project (DHGP), headed by Gary ...