Biochemists unravel complicated mysteries of epigenetic code to find culprit in cancer development
Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - 06:00
in Biology & Nature
Every single human cell contains every single human gene. But depending on the cell, only some of these genes need to be expressed or "turned on." For instance, a heart cell has all the genes needed for, say, proper kidney function. But that heart cell won't express those genes. In a heart cell, those genes are "turned off." When one of these "wrong" genes is turned on by mistake, the result can be rampant cell growth – cancer.