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May 26, 2020

An under-researched mechanism in the fast-moving field of epigenetics

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, genetics

A key epigenetic mark can block the binding of an important gene regulatory protein, and therefore prohibit the gene from being turned off, a new UNSW study in CRISPR-modified mice—published this month in Nature Communications —has shown.

The study has implications for understanding how epigenetics works at a molecular level—and down the track, the scientists hope the research will help them to investigate new treatments for disorders.

“Epigenetics looks at how non-permanent, acquired chemical marks on DNA determine whether or not particular are expressed,” study leader and UNSW Professor Merlin Crossley says.

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