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Fruitfly Genome Mapped in Three Dimensions
from Nature News
A decade ago, hot on the heels of whole-genome sequencing, the idea of three-dimensional
genome mapping was developed. Now, the highest-resolution 3-D map of the fruitfly genome has been
produced, an important step towards understanding whether, and how, the structure of the genome
affects its function.
Chromosomes and their genes are arranged in a specific way throughout the nucleus, and because
the nucleotide sequence of a genome alone cannot explain the functions of its genes, researchers
have started investigating how the spatial organization of genes might affect how they work.
"Conceptually, we're entering a new era," says study author Giacomo Cavalli, of the Institute
of Human Genetics in Montpellier, France. "Forty years ago we looked at single genes, now we know
we need to look at them in context--that's the 3-D folding of chromosomes."
Read more...
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