Diverse classes of RNA, ranging from small to long non-coding RNAs, have emerged as key
regulators of gene expression, genome stability and defence against foreign genetic …

Compacted, transcriptionally repressed chromatin, referred to as heterochromatin,
represents a major fraction of the higher eukaryotic genome and exerts pivotal functions of …

Codon usage biases are found in all eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes, and preferred
codons are more frequently used in highly expressed genes. The effects of codon usage on …

In most higher organisms, DNA is modified after synthesis by the enzymatic conversion of
many cytosine residues to 5-methylcytosine. For several years, control of gene activity by …

Densely methylated DNA associates with transcriptionally repressive chromatin
characterized by the presence of underacetylated histones 1, 2. Recently, these two …

Evidence suggests that haematopoietic stem cells might have unexpected developmental
plasticity, highlighting therapeutic potential. For example, bone-marrow-derived hepatocytes …

DNA methylation can contribute to transcriptional silencing through several transcriptionally
repressive complexes, which include methyl-CpG binding domain proteins (MBDs) and …

The DNA methyltransferase Dnmt1 is responsible for cytosine methylation in mammals and
has a role in gene silencing 1, 2, 3, 4. DNA methylation represses genes partly by …

DNA methylation is involved in epigenetic processes such as X-chromosome inactivation,
imprinting and silencing of transposons. We have demonstrated previously that dim-2 …

Recent results from diverse organisms point to a self-reinforcing network of interactions
among the three best-characterized covalent modifications that mark heterochromatin …