Summary of the science
For genes to have an effect on an organism, they must be expressed, being converted into RNA and then protein. There are many stages involved in this conversion and the control of these different stages is known as gene regulation and is important for determining various cellular features, including what cell type a cell will become. Gene regulation does this by determining which genes are switched on or off. Joanna Wysock and group investigate how different gene regulation pathways affect human traits.
About the research
The central theme of Joanna Wysocka's research is how gene regulation is important in human development and evolution. Her group has therefore investigated a range of different topics, including how epigenetics affects transposable element suppression and how gene regulation is important for differentiation. In particular, she has used pluripotent stem cells to understand how cis-regulation has evolved in hominoids.
About the illustration