Loop the Loop, DNA Style: One Or Two-Way Transcription Depends On Gene Loops

[littlemissmartypants]

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2012) — Scientists at EMBL and Oxford University discovered that, by forming or undoing gene loops, cells manipulate the path of the transcription machinery -- which reads out instructions from DNA -- controlling whether it moves along the genetic material in one direction or two.

In certain toy racecar tracks, sneaky players can flip a switch, trapping their opponents' vehicles in a loop of track. Cells employ a less subtle approach: they change the track's layout. In a study published online September 28 in Science, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and Oxford University discovered that, by forming or undoing gene loops, cells manipulate the path of the transcription machinery -- which reads out instructions from DNA -- controlling whether it moves along the genetic material in one direction or two.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120928085218.htm