cellular functions

Among the approximately 23,000 genes in human DNA, scientists estimate that there may be as few as 50 to 100 that have no counterparts in other species.

Little is known about the distinctive contributions these genes likely make to our species. Now scientists have produced the first detailed analysis of the cellular functions of a gene found only in humans and primate relatives known as hominoids.

Just as cells inherit genes, they also inherit a set of instructions that tell genes when to become active, in which tissues and to what extent.

Now, researchers have built a device that, by allowing scientists to turn genes on and off in actively multiplying budding yeast cells, will help them figure out more precisely than before how genes and proteins interact with one another and how these interactions drive cellular functions.