Epigenetics and chromatin remodeling: deciphering the molecular architecture of silent chromatin domains

所有高等生物的基因都与特殊的蛋白质包装在一起，形成一种称为染色质的复杂结构。虽然每个细胞都包含相同的一组基因，但每种组织类型都表达一套特定的基因，这使该组织具有独特的身份。因此，一些基因必须被表达，而另一些基因则被沉默。基因调控的第一个层次是通过改变基因周围的染色质结构，即染色质区域。染色质结构域以“开放”或“关闭”的状态存在，从而分别启动或沉默基因表达。这种现象被称为表观遗传调控，在过去的十年里一直是密集研究的主题。了解表观遗传调控对于了解正常的发育过程是必不可少的，对于了解癌症等疾病状态也是绝对关键的。

The genes of all higher organisms are packaged with special proteins into a complex structure called chromatin. While every cell contains the same set of genes, each tissue type expresses a specific suite of genes, which gives that tissue its unique identity. Thus, some genes must be expressed while others are silenced. The first level of gene regulation occurs via alterations in the chromatin architecture surrounding a gene, the chromatin domain. A chromatin domain exists either in an 'open' or a 'closed' state, thus enabling or silencing gene expression, respectively. This phenomenon is called epigenetic regulation and it has been the subject of intense study for the past decade. Understanding epigenetic regulation is essential for understanding normal developmental processes and it is absolutely critical to understanding disease states, such as cancer.