A lot of people know if two people have the same genome and diffe-rent environment, gene-tic disease may occur differently. But even if they have the same conditions, genetic dise-ases may occur in different ways. By the means of probability, chemical reactions usually determine biological phenomena. Therefore, even though cells may have exactly the same genes, different amounts of proteins are produced. This phenomenon is called noise and it is important for controlling cell’s adaptation, development, and death.
Prof. Namki Lee (PHYS), Sora Yang (PHYS M.S.-Ph.D. Integrated candidate), and Prof. Jaeyoung Sung(Chung-Ang University) published significant research results on gene expression in Nature Communication. They figured out external noise increases because of the change in concentration of RNA polymerase. This causes the change of a cell’s environment and in the concentration of proteins. Consequently, the concentration of RNA polymerase eventually causes noise.
These findings shed light not only on how bacteria develop a tolerance for antibiotics but also on the processes in which cells transform from one state to another, like differentiation of stem cells or development of cancer cells.