The clearest map yet of how genes control cells to make our bodies work has been drawn up. The map is challenging ideas about what our genes do and may accelerate the development of gene-based therapies.
Every cell in your body contains the same genetic code. But which genes are active, or “expressed”, in the cell depends on its function – whether it’s a neuron or a red blood cell, for example. Which genes are expressed is controlled by tiny bits of the genome called promoters and enhancers.
An international consortium of researchers known as FANTOM, led by the RIKEN institute in Japan, has uncovered which promoters and enhancers are used by which cells. By looking at more than 800 human tissue samples, covering nearly all cell types, they found 44,000 enhancers and 180,000 promoters that control gene expression.
Read the full, original story: Map of how DNA controls cells may boost gene therapies
