Theoretical mechanisms for synthesis of carcinogen-induced embryonic proteins: IX. V-type position effect

By the use of a simplistic concept of the structure of heterochromatin, one can derive a formulation for the mechanism by which the phenomenon of V-type position effect can repress genic activity. This notion would explain how the Bar locus and other position effect examples cause genic repression. The mechanism, when extended, may also explain the process of cancer induction by hereditary means. In its most concise form the theory states that heterochromatin has a stabilized structure through special proteins, such as phosphorylated species that allows it the capacity to induce new domains of a "pseudo-heterochromatic" conformation to juxta-positional euchromatic segments for short distances by virtue of electrostatic and hydrogen bond forces.