Researchers Find Protein That Silences Genes

Researchers Find Protein That Silences Genes

ScienceDaily (May 5, 2006) — A team of researchers, including biologists at Washington University in St. Louis, has discovered the key role one protein plays in a major turn-off — in this case, the turning off of thousands of nearly identical genes in a hybrid plant.

To find out where HDA6 is located in the cell, the group then genetically engineered the protein to include a fluorescent tag and found that much of the HDA6, seen as a glowing red signal under the microscope, shows up in the nucleolus, which is precisely the site where ribosomal RNA genes are regulated and where nucleolar dominance occurs. "We found HDA6 at the scene of the crime, which was reassuring," Pikaard said.
Adapted from materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis.