<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The convergence between a statistical mechanics and biological approach in elucidating some basic features of cell differentiation opens new avenues of research in gene expression regulation and holds some promises in terms of a re-differentiation approach to a cancer cure. The message emerging from two recent papers by the authors of the present communication follows very simple basic lines. The time-honored concept of homeostasis, at the very basis of physiology, is in action even at the microscopic level of gene expression regulation, where a continuous (relatively small) oscillation of gene expression is mandatory for keeping alive the substantial stability of the gene expression profile typical of a given cell type. This mechanism of stability, when oscillation exceeds a certain threshold, is responsible for the spreading of a large-scale perturbation invading the entire genome and eventually giving rise to cell fate change. The material basis of this model was discovered in the onset of a global reorganisation of chromatin driven by fusion-splitting dynamics of pericentromeric associated domains that, by selective folding/unfolding of chromatin, allows for a global scale re-arrangement of genome expression.</p>
</abstract>

The convergence between a statistical mechanics and biological approach in elucidating some basic features of cell differentiation opens new avenues of research in gene expression regulation and holds some promises in terms of a re-differentiation approach to a cancer cure. The message emerging from two recent papers by the authors of the present communication follows very simple basic lines. The time-honored concept of homeostasis, at the very basis of physiology, is in action even at the microscopic level of gene expression regulation, where a continuous (relatively small) oscillation of gene expression is mandatory for keeping alive the substantial stability of the gene expression profile typical of a given cell type. This mechanism of stability, when oscillation exceeds a certain threshold, is responsible for the spreading of a large-scale perturbation invading the entire genome and eventually giving rise to cell fate change. The material basis of this model was discovered in the onset of a global reorganisation of chromatin driven by fusion-splitting dynamics of pericentromeric associated domains that, by selective folding/unfolding of chromatin, allows for a global scale re-arrangement of genome expression.

A New Perspective of Genome Regulation from the Physics of Life Standpoint

Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Section B. Natural, Exact, and Applied Sciences.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"A New Perspective of Genome Regulation from the Physics of Life Standpoint"}

The convergence between a statistical mechanics and biological approach in elucidating some basic features of cell differentiation opens new avenues of...

A New Perspective of Genome Regulation from the Physics of Life Standpoint

Publié en ligne: 02 juin 2022

Pages: 163 - 167

Reçu: 15 nov. 2021

Accepté: 24 nov. 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/prolas-2022-0026

Mots clés
differentiation commitment, cancer, critical self-organisation, transcription avalanche, pericentric heterochromatin, physics of life

© 2022 Jekaterina Ērenpreisa et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

A New Perspective of Genome Regulation from the Physics of Life Standpoint

Publié en ligne: 02 juin 2022

Pages: 163 - 167

Reçu: 15 nov. 2021

Accepté: 24 nov. 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/prolas-2022-0026

Mots clésdifferentiation commitment, cancer, critical self-organisation, transcription avalanche, pericentric heterochromatin, physics of life

© 2022 Jekaterina Ērenpreisa et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Mots clés
differentiation commitment, cancer, critical self-organisation, transcription avalanche, pericentric heterochromatin, physics of life