AI discovery reveals DNA isn’t locked away in cells after all
A new AI-powered study from the Gladstone Institutes and the Arc Institute reveals that DNA in nucleosomes is more accessible than previously believed, challenging the long-held view that tightly wound DNA is locked away. Using a computational tool called IDLI, researchers found that over 85 percent of nucleosomes have partially exposed DNA sections, indicating a more dynamic and nuanced system of gene regulation. The findings, published in Nature, suggest a fundamental shift in understanding how chromatin structure controls gene activity.
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Every cell in the human body squeezes over six feet of DNA into a miniscule speck invisible to the naked eye—like compressing a whole house into a single sugar cube. In order to fit in a cell and remain organized, DNA is carefully wrapped around spool-like protein clusters called nucleosomes. For decades, the prevailing view held that DNA is coiled so tightly around a nucleosome that it’s basically locked away and the cell can’t access it. Scientists believed only unwrapped DNA could be active. Now, a study from Gladstone Institutes and the Arc Institute challenges that black-and-white view. Using a new AI-powered computational method, scientists discovered that most nucleosomes contain sections of DNA that are partially accessible to the cell, rather than fully wound up and packed away.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Gladstone.
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