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Combinatorial Gene Control

Combinatorial Gene Control

Combinatorial gene control is the synergistic action of several transcriptional factors to regulate the expression of a single gene. The absence of one or more of these factors may lead to a significant difference in the level of gene expression or repression.
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...

Reporter Genes

Reporter Genes

Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.

Structure of a Gene

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...

Cell Specific Gene Expression

Cell Specific Gene Expression

Multicellular organisms contain a variety of structurally and functionally distinct cell types, but the DNA in all the cells originated from the same parent cells. The differences in the cells can be attributed to the differential gene expression. Liver cells, whose functions include detoxification of blood, production of bile to metabolize fats, and synthesis of proteins essential for metabolism, must express a specific set of genes to perform their functions. Gene expression also varies with...

What is Gene Expression?

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Overview
Gene expression is the process in which DNA directs the synthesis of functional products, that is, proteins. Cells can regulate gene expression at various stages. It allows organisms to generate different cell types and enables cells to adapt to internal and external factors.
Genetic Information Flows from DNA to RNA to Protein
A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is made up of nucleotides and proteins consist of amino...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Folding and Characterization of a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami

Folding and Characterization of a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami

Published on: December 3, 2015

Organ-Specific Gene Expression Control Using DNA Origami-Based Nanodevices.

Yuxiang Liu¹, Ruixuan Wang¹, Qimingxing Chen¹

¹School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210 People's Republic of China.

|June 26, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed robust DNA origami nanodevices encapsulated within lipid-based nanoparticles (LNPs) for enhanced organ-specific gene delivery. This breakthrough improves the functionality of messenger RNA (mRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) in mouse organs.

Keywords:

Cryo-EM DNA origami LNP gene expression

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Last Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Folding and Characterization of a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami

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Published on: September 27, 2019

Area of Science:

Synthetic biology
Nanotechnology
Gene delivery

Background:

Achieving organ-specific nanodevice function is a key goal in synthetic biology.
DNA origami enables nanodevice construction for targeted delivery, but fragility and low targeting limit organ delivery.
Current methods face challenges in maintaining nanostructure integrity under physiological conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To engineer robust DNA origami nanodevices for organ-specific gene delivery.
To overcome the limitations of DNA nanostructure fragility and targeting.
To enhance the functionality of gene of interest (GOI) payloads within target organs.

Main Methods:

Construction of tough DNA origami nanostructures.
Encapsulation of DNA origami into lipid-based nanoparticles (LNPs) under low pH conditions.
Assessment of GOI (mRNA and siRNA) functionality in mouse organs.
Cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) for LNP structural analysis.

Main Results:

Successfully created DNA origami-encapsulated LNPs stable under harsh conditions.
Demonstrated increased functionality of mRNA and siRNA payloads within mouse organs.
Identified distinct LNP structures contributing to enhanced payload delivery via Cryo-EM.

Conclusions:

DNA origami-encapsulated LNPs offer a promising strategy for organ-specific gene delivery.
The developed nanodevices enhance the efficacy of gene expression control.
These findings provide a foundation for future advancements in targeted gene therapy and synthetic biology applications.