Regulation of gene expression

3D Genetic Structure in Blood Cancer Important Beyond DNA Code Changes

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 23, 2020
Branches of biology, Biology, Gene expression, Myc, DNA, Epigenetics, Enhancer, Mutation, Regulation of gene expression, Gene, Origin of replication, Genome instability

Upon receiving the right signal, this arrangement changes to expose the gene-reading machinery to only those bits of DNA code needed for the job at hand in each cell.

Key Points: 
  • Upon receiving the right signal, this arrangement changes to expose the gene-reading machinery to only those bits of DNA code needed for the job at hand in each cell.
  • Within TAD boundaries, DNA is free to fold back on itself in 3D loops, bringing together enhancers and other elements (e.g., promoter DNA) that must interact for a given stretch of code to be read.
  • Researchers say their findings suggest that these 3D changes in chromosome structure are as important as changes in the order of molecular letters making up the DNA code itself (mutations), with both mechanisms encouraging cancer onset and progress.
  • However, a second experimental drug (targeting molecular, or epigenetic, changes in these DNA neighborhoods) effectively corrected DNA looping in the MYC neighborhood, restoring normal chromosomal structure and gene regulation, and dramatically decreasing MYC action and cancer spread.

Syros Presents New Preclinical Data Highlighting Its Leadership in CDK Inhibition to Discover and Develop New Medicines for Difficult-to-Treat Cancers

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Oncology, Health, Genetics, Clinical trials, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Branches of biology, Biology, Cell Cycle, Gene expression, Proteins, RNA, Cyclin-dependent kinase 7, Regulation of gene expression, CDK12

Together, these presentations underscore our leadership in CDK inhibition and, more broadly, in the field of gene control, said Eric R. Olson, Ph.D., Syros Chief Scientific Officer.

Key Points: 
  • Together, these presentations underscore our leadership in CDK inhibition and, more broadly, in the field of gene control, said Eric R. Olson, Ph.D., Syros Chief Scientific Officer.
  • Syros scientists studied the transcriptional effects of selective CDK7 and CDK12 inhibition in an ovarian cancer cell line, marking the first reported direct comparison of these two approaches.
  • CDK12 inhibition preferentially decreased expression of genes with longer transcripts, a phenomenon that was not observed with CDK7 inhibition.
  • The DNA double-stranded break repair pathway is enriched for genes with longer transcripts that are preferentially downregulated by CDK12 inhibition.