Kissing chromosomes

摘要

A three-dimensional examination of gene regulation suggests that portions from different chromosomes 'communicate' with each other, and bring related genes together in the nucleus to coordinate their expression. The cell has evolved many strategies toorchestrate gene activation or repression. Spilianakis et al. (page 637 of this issue) reveal a novel mechanism of gene regulation, throwing light on how cells organize their genome, to respond efficiently to stimuli. They show that genes on different chromosomes that are destined to be expressed within a common cell lineage are brought together in the nucleus. Such inter-chromosomal communication has been suspected for some time, but this is the first evidence that it actually takes place.