Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Capturing Complexity
28 May 2017

Capturing Complexity

DNA is often pictured as a string of nucleotides tightly wound up into recognisable chromosomes, yet it only adopts this compact formation when a cell divides. The rest of the time, genomes are much more dynamic and inscrutable. In a landmark study, researchers have captured the complex 3D structure of an entire mammal genome, inside a mouse embryonic stem cell (pictured). Their pioneering technique, which involves sequencing small fragments of a fixed genome to determine which segments lie close to each other, will yield a wealth of insights into how genome organisation affects cellular function. Painstakingly reconstructing the genomes of multiple cells revealed consistent features, including the position of inactive DNA (in yellow) and active DNA, from which genes are being transcribed (in blue). Conversely, there was also unexpected variation in genome structure between individual cells, even of the same type, which may underpin variable responses to diseases and treatments.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.