3-D Packaging of the DNA Regulates Cell Identity

The fundamental mechanisms governing how cells form an identity such as becoming a muscle cell or a nerve cell are not fully understood. Multiple diseases, such as cancer, have been linked to cells going down the wrong developmental path during maturation. This new study suggests that the ability of a stem cell to turn into a heart muscle cell depends on the 3D organization of the DNA in the nucleus which controls what portions of the DNA are available for activation