The worm has turned. (5th December 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Graham, Bryony J.; Hay, Deborah; Hughes, Jim; Higgs, Doug
• Is Part Of: BioEssays. Volume 36:Number 2(2014:Feb.)
• Page Start: 157
• Page End: 162
• Publication Date: 2013-12-05
• Subjects: Molecular biology -- Periodicals; Cytology -- Periodicals; Developmental biology -- Periodicals; 572.8
• DOI: 10.1002/bies.201300105
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0265-9247

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="bies201300105-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <p>Our understanding of biological processes in humans is often based on examination of analogous processes in other organisms. The nematode worm <italic>Caenorhabditis elegans</italic> has been a particularly valuable model, leading to Nobel prize winning discoveries in development and genetics. Until recently, however, the worm has not been widely used as a model to study transcription due to the lack of a comprehensive catalogue of its RNA transcripts. A recent study by Chen et al. uses next‐generation sequencing to address this issue, mapping the transcription initiation sites in <italic>C. elegans</italic> and finding many unexpected similarities between the transcription of enhancers and promoters in the worm and mammalian genomes. As well as providing a valuable resource for researchers in the <italic>C. elegans</italic> community, these findings raise the possibility of using the worm as a model to investigate some key, current questions about transcriptional regulation that remain technically challenging in more complex organisms.</p> </sec> </abstract>