How does chromatin condensation keep the nucleus compact? Packaging of approximately a meter-long DNA duplex within the elastic nucleus determines its spatial 3D architecture and the genomic accessibility of tissue-specific transcriptional programs. Apart from several biochemical processes, there are various forces at play in [...]
How do chromosome territory dynamics affect gene redistribution? The spatial organization of chromatin within the 3-dimensional space of a chromosome territory enables the co-localization of co-transcribed genes and their transcriptional foci. Many gene positioning studies have shown that individual genes often loop out of [...]
What are transcription factories? The primary role of chromatin assembly is the compaction of an otherwise very long DNA molecule into discrete structures that fit into the nucleus. However, this compaction cannot be achieved at the expense of a cells ability to transcribe and [...]
What are telomeres? Telomeres are short nucleotide sequences found at the end of linear chromosomes which protect the genetic information. In vertebrates, telomeres have the hexameric sequence TTAGGG. During DNA replication, the double stranded DNA is unwound and DNA polymerase synthesizes new strands. However, [...]
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One of four Research Centres of Excellence at NUS, MBI is working to identify, measure and describe how the forces for motility and morphogenesis are expressed at the molecular, cellular and tissue level.