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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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Thanks decimon. A surprising number of hits... |
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Posted on 08/18/2011 12:14:07 PM PDT by decimon
Basic biology textbooks may need a bit of revising now that biologists at UC San Diego have discovered a never-before-noticed component of our basic genetic material.
According to the textbooks, chromatin, the natural state of DNA in the cell, is made up of nucleosomes. And nucleosomes are the basic repeating unit of chromatin.
When viewed by a high powered microscope, nucleosomes look like beads on a string (photo at right). But in the August 19th issue of the journal Molecular Cell, UC San Diego biologists report their discovery of a novel chromatin particle halfway between DNA and a nucleosome (photo at left). While it looks like a nucleosome, they say, it is in fact a distinct particle of its own.
"This novel particle was found as a precursor to a nucleosome," said James Kadonaga, a professor of biology at UC San Diego who headed the research team and calls the particle a "pre-nucleosome." "These findings suggest that it is necessary to reconsider what chromatin is. The pre-nucleosome is likely to be an important player in how our genetic material is duplicated and used."
The biologists say that while the pre-nucleosome may look something like a nucleosome under the microscope, biochemical tests have shown that it is in reality halfway between DNA and a nucleosome.
These pre-nucleosomes, the researchers say, are converted into nucleosomes by a motor protein that uses the energy molecule ATP (see graphic).
"The discovery of pre-nucleosomes suggests that much of chromatin, which has been generally presumed to consist only of nucleosomes, may be a mixture of nucleosomes and pre-nucleosomes," said Kadonaga. "So, this discovery may be the beginning of a revolution in our understanding of what chromatin is."
"The packaging of DNA with histone proteins to form chromatin helps stabilize chromosomes and plays an important role in regulating gene activities and DNA replication," said Anthony Carter, who oversees chromatin grants at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, which funded the research. "The discovery of a novel intermediate DNA-histone complex offers intriguing insights into the nature of chromatin and may help us better understand how it impacts these key cellular processes."
Chromatic aberration ping.
Discoveries tend to have that effect on textbooks.
Well, it IS sometimes necessary to revise text books when new information is discovered. Particularly when that information relates to the field covered by said text books.
What a strange headline...
So when do we get the new textbooks acknowledging that AGW or man caused climate change is a farce and a money grab?
So when do we get the new textbooks acknowledging that AGW or man caused climate change is a farce and a money grab?
I’m telling you, it’s turtles all the way down...
Nucleosomes would the the material that conservatives are made of.
Pre-nucleosomes would be the material that liberals and progressives are made of.
Liberals and progressives haven’t fully developed or matured into right thinking individuals. Liberals/progressives are the missing link that biologists and researchers have been looking for.
Conservatives might have some pre-nucleosomes in their makeup, but, that’s why we still say that “nobody’s perfect”.
Douglas Adams fan?
ROFL!
Believe that is a Steven Hawking reference.
ah, thanks - I confuse those two quite often...
•”If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.” (Jackie “Moms” Mabley)
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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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Thanks decimon. A surprising number of hits... |
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Maybe they'll be a chromatin forum.
I dunno; watching some of the shenanigans that go on with textbook committees, I always assumed that textbooks were only ever revised for political changes, and the facts themselves be damned.
The more common claim is that they keep revising the textbooks for the $$$$$.
The facts still end up taking the back seat, though.
Anything but that! Oh the humanity!
Gee wiz, could we have a bit of intelligent discussion here. For instance, I am wondering if this has anything to do with epigenetics? Or would this perhaps explain recent studies wherein the health and nutrition of grandparents seems to have an impact on the grandchildren even if the parents seem healthy, and if I recall correctly the effects are more pronounced on males?
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