Certain types of gene circuits can store information over many cell generations, according to a theoretical study.
One of the great puzzles of cell biology is how information is stored, processed and passed from generation to generation at the biochemical level.
By far the most famous mechanism is the sequence of nucleotides in DNA. However, in recent years a number other data storage mechanisms have emerged, so-called epigenetic processes, and their role is under fierce debate. For example, the pattern of methyl groups attached to DNA seems to be an important data storage system as do modifications to the proteins that control how DNA is packaged.
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