Regulation of chromatin topology

染色质是包裹基因组的DNA和蛋白质的基本混合物。细胞中存在几种不同形式的染色化DNA，这些状态决定了哪些DNA序列被读取，哪些被沉默。这可能是细胞中最关键的决定：随之而来的基因表达谱（哪些基因是“开”的，哪些基因是“关”的）是细胞身份和行为的关键决定因素。因此，了解染色质状态如何建立和调节与广泛的科学领域相关，包括细胞生长调节、细胞和生物体发育以及环境-疾病关系的研究。

Chromatin is an essential mixture of DNA and protein that packages the genome. Several different forms of chromatinized DNA exist in cells, and these states determine which DNA sequences are read and which are silenced. This is perhaps the most critical decision to be made in a cell: the consequent gene expression profile (which genes are ‘ON’ and which genes are ‘OFF’) is the key determinant of cellular identity and behavior. Learning how chromatin states are established and regulated is therefore relevant to broad scientific fields including the studies of the regulation of cell growth, cell and organism development and environment-disease relationships.