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This Review introduces the core concepts of using biological building blocks to carry out computation. The author explains models of computation, experimental examples — sometimes inspired by the complex computation that is part of natural biological systems — and potential applications.
Several approaches exist for identifyingcis-regulatory modules, which are the regions in the genome that regulate gene expression. The authors describe these strategies and assess how they perform (either alone or in combination) and how they can be improved.
Our understanding of the function of DNA methylation is developing now that we are able to look beyond CpG-rich regions at transcriptional start sites. The emerging picture is of a complex relationship between DNA methylation and transcription and of possible additional roles of methylation.
Aneuploidy is the leading cause of congenital defects in humans and nearly always results from errors occurring in oocytes. Here, the authors review the evidence pointing towards the mechanistic basis of meiotic defects leading to aneuploidy and discuss the potential role of environmental factors.
Gene expression levels can now be compared among species at greater resolution. Focusing on work in primates, the authors discuss the evolution of gene expression, ways of exploring mechanisms that underlie expression changes and complementary work in model organisms on the functional effects of expression changes.
