A French research team led by CNRS scientists has discovered that cells are able to retain a memory of a previous perturbation within the 3D structure of their genome, independently of their DNA sequence. When they are exposed to a transient stimulus that induces changes in the proteins that compact DNA—thereby altering chromosome architecture—cells retain this modified architecture even after the initial cellular conditions have been restored. Moreover, this cellular memory is amplified if the cells are exposed to the same stress again. These findings were published in Nature Genetics on February 4.

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