Genomes and inheritance
How genomes change, DNA copying begins and inherited silencing persists.
12 problemsGenes and development
How do genomes and regulatory systems shape traits, reliable development, and repair?
Subjects: Molecular and cell biology · Evolution
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Plant biology
Plants responding to their surroundings, reproducing and diversifying.
10 problemsBiological timing
Daily clocks, seasonal signals and the timing of emergence and dormancy.
6 problemsProblems in this collection
9 problemsGenetic architecture of complex traits
Thousands of genetic variants can contribute to a trait, yet finding an association does not reveal how those variants work together to produce it.
Gene regulatory grammar
Cells with similar DNA can activate very different genes. How do regulatory sequences and cellular conditions specify when, where, and how strongly a gene is used?
Developmental robustness
Developing organisms often produce reliable structures despite molecular noise, genetic differences, and environmental changes. How is that reliability achieved?
Regeneration
Some animals rebuild lost body parts, while others mostly form scars. What determines whether damaged tissue can reconstruct an organized, functional structure?
Human X-chromosome inactivation
Developing cells can silence much of one X chromosome. How do human embryos establish which copy becomes inactive?
Escape from X-chromosome inactivation
An inactive X chromosome is not completely silent. Why do some genes escape, and why does that vary between tissues and cells?
Organ growth termination
Organs slow their growth and reach characteristic sizes. How do local signals and the rest of the body coordinate that stopping point?
Mammalian cell size homeostasis
Different mammalian cells maintain different sizes. What sets their target size and coordinates growth with division?
Aphid wing induction
A crowded wingless pea-aphid mother can produce daughters with wings. How does a touch on the mother become a developmental instruction to her embryos?