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Related Concept Videos

Position-effect Variegation02:32

Position-effect Variegation

In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.
Constitutive and Regulated Gene Expression01:27

Constitutive and Regulated Gene Expression

Gene expression in prokaryotes is governed by constitutive and regulated systems, allowing cells to balance the production of essential proteins with adaptive responses to environmental changes.Constitutive Gene ExpressionConstitutive, or housekeeping, genes are continuously expressed as they encode proteins vital for fundamental cellular processes. These include enzymes for glycolysis, ribosomal components for protein synthesis, and proteins involved in DNA replication. Their constant...
Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps01:23

Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps

The gene expression in cells is regulated at different stages: (i) transcription, (ii) RNA processing, (iii) RNA localization, and (iv) translation. Transcriptional regulation is mediated by regulatory proteins such as transcription factors, activators, or repressors—these control gene expression by initiating or inhibiting the transcription of genes. Once a precursor or pre-mRNA is produced, it undergoes post-transcriptional modification, including 5' capping, splicing, and the addition of a...
Chromatin Position Affects Gene Expression02:35

Chromatin Position Affects Gene Expression

Chromatin is the massive complex of DNA and proteins packaged inside the nucleus. The complexity of chromatin folding and how it is packaged inside the nucleus greatly influences  access to genetic information. Generally, the nucleus' periphery is considered transcriptionally repressive, while the cell's interior is considered a transcriptionally active area. 
Topologically Associated Domains (TADs)
The 3-dimensional positioning of chromatin in the nucleus influences the timing and level of...
Structure of a Gene01:30

Structure of a Gene

A gene is the fundamental unit of heredity. Every individual has two copies of each gene, one inherited from each parent. Although most people contain the same genes, there is a small fraction that is slightly different amongst people. A gene with a small difference in its sequence of DNA bases forms different alleles, contributing to different phenotypes.
However, only 1% of the DNA is composed of genes that encode proteins; the rest, 99% is non-coding DNA. This non-coding DNA performs...
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps02:24

Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps

Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...

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Functional Surface-immobilization of Genes Using Multistep Strand Displacement Lithography
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Functional Surface-immobilization of Genes Using Multistep Strand Displacement Lithography

Published on: October 25, 2018

Compartmentalization by directional gene expression.

Shirley S Daube1, Dan Bracha, Amnon Buxboim

  • 1Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, 76100.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 6, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers explored boundary-free compartmentalization using surface-bound DNA and transcription. They found that DNA self-organization creates directional transactions, forming cellular compartments without physical barriers.

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Last Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Functional Surface-immobilization of Genes Using Multistep Strand Displacement Lithography
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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Synthetic Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Compartmentalization is essential for cellular function, concentrating biochemical reactions.
  • Current methods for creating compartments often rely on physical barriers, limiting synthetic cell design.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate boundary-free compartmentalization using surface-bound DNA and transcription.
  • To understand the conditions required for self-organized compartmentalization.
  • To explore a novel approach for synthetic cell assembly.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing surface-bound DNA and a transcription reaction system.
  • Analyzing DNA self-organization into dense, ordered phases.
  • Measuring transcription rates and reaction kinetics under varying DNA densities and orientations.

Main Results:

  • Surface-bound DNA self-organizes with aligned coding sequences, imposing transcriptional directionality.
  • Transcription reactions slow down early and are inhibited by high DNA density.
  • Promoters oriented towards the surface show favorable transcription, and the reaction is robust against DNA condensation.

Conclusions:

  • Macromolecules, not solutes, are partitioned between immobilized DNA and the surrounding environment.
  • Nonequilibrium, directional DNA transactions create macromolecular gradients, defining compartments without physical barriers.
  • This boundary-free approach offers a new strategy for assembling synthetic cells.