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heterochromatin
[ het-er-uh-kroh-muh-tin ]
noun
- the dense, highly stainable part of a chromosome.
heterochromatin
/ ˌhɛtərəʊˈkrəʊmətɪn /
noun
- the condensed part of a chromosome that stains strongly with basic dyes in nondividing cells and has little genetic activity Compare euchromatin
Word History and Origins
Origin of heterochromatin1
Example Sentences
They found out that long-lived RNAs in neurons consist of mRNAs and non-coding RNAs and accumulate near the heterochromatin -- the densely packed region of the genome, typically homing inactive genes.
A lower amount of long-lived RNAs caused problems in the heterochromatin architecture and stability of genetic material, eventually affecting the cells' viability.
"Together with unidentified proteins, long-lived RNAs likely form a stable structure that somehow interacts with the heterochromatin."
They also plan to model a disease called progeria, in which cells have a genetic mutation that leads to loss of heterochromatin.
In particular, they found that certain chromatin regions, with marks telling cells not to read a particular segment of DNA, attract each other and form dense clumps called heterochromatin, which are difficult for the cell to access.
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