The human DNA molecule is a 2–m-long polymer collapsed into the micrometer space of the cell nucleus. This simple consideration rules out any “Maxwell demon”-like explanation of regulation in which a single regulatory molecule (e.g., a transcription factor) finds autonomously its way to the particular target gene whose expression must be repressed or enhanced. A gene-by-gene regulation is still more contrasting with the physical reality when in the presence of cell state transitions involving the contemporary expression change of thousands of genes. This state of affair asks for a statistical mechanics inspired approach where specificity arises from a selective unfolding of chromatin driving the rewiring of gene expression pattern. The arising of “expression waves” marking state transitions related to chromatin structural reorganization through self-organized critical control of whole-genome expression will be described in the present paper. We adopt as a model system the gene expression time course of a cancer cell (MCF-7) population exposed to an efficient stimulus causing a state transition in comparison with an ineffective stimulus. The obtained results will be put into the perspective of biological adaptive systems living on the edge of chaos.
Skip Nav Destination
Self-organization of whole-gene expression through coordinated chromatin structural transition
Article navigation
September 2021
Review Article|
September 21 2021
Self-organization of whole-gene expression through coordinated chromatin structural transition
Giovanna Zimatore
;
Giovanna Zimatore
1
eCampus University
, 22060 Novedrate, Como, Italy
and CNR-IMM Bologna
, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
Masa Tsuchiya;
Masa Tsuchiya
a)
2
SEIKO Life Science Laboratory, SEIKO Research Institute for Education
, Osaka 540-659, Japan
a)Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: tsuchiya.masa@gmail.com and alessandro.giuliani@iss.it
Search for other works by this author on:
Midori Hashimoto;
Midori Hashimoto
3
Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency
, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
Search for other works by this author on:
Andrzej Kasperski
;
Andrzej Kasperski
4
Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Biotechnology, University of Zielona Góra
, ul. Szafrana 1, 65-516 Zielona Góra, Poland
Search for other works by this author on:
Alessandro Giuliani
Alessandro Giuliani
a)
5
Environment and Health Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanitá
, 00161 Rome, Italy
a)Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: tsuchiya.masa@gmail.com and alessandro.giuliani@iss.it
Search for other works by this author on:
a)Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: tsuchiya.masa@gmail.com and alessandro.giuliani@iss.it
Biophysics Rev. 2, 031303 (2021)
Article history
Received:
May 31 2021
Accepted:
August 20 2021
Citation
Giovanna Zimatore, Masa Tsuchiya, Midori Hashimoto, Andrzej Kasperski, Alessandro Giuliani; Self-organization of whole-gene expression through coordinated chromatin structural transition. Biophysics Rev. 1 September 2021; 2 (3): 031303. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0058511
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Citing articles via
Related Content
Effects of forces on chromatin
APL Bioeng (October 2021)
Chromatin modification mapping in nanochannels
Biomicrofluidics (November 2013)
The role of chromatin conformations in diffusional transport of chromatin-binding proteins: Cartesian lattice simulations
J. Chem. Phys. (April 2008)
Evaluation of chromatin mesoscale organization
APL Bioeng (January 2022)
Chromatin ‘‘in real time’’
AIP Conference Proceedings (May 1991)