modENCODE Project Reveals Evolutionary Patterns of Gene Activation(2)

September 2, 2014

September 2, 2014 | As the modENCODE (Model Organism Encyclopedia of DNA Elements) project catalogues the transcription factors and other regulatory elements at work in Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans cells at various stages of development, scientists are learning that many of the genetic regulatory elements at work in humans have deep evolutionary roots. Comparison with the original ENCODE project, which focused on the human genome, reveals common sets of co-regulated genes, which are activated and suppressed in predictable patterns across all three species. New York Times