Environmental factors play a big role in how genes behave when cells change and grow. Here’s how this happens:
Nutrient Availability: The type and amount of nutrients can turn certain genes on or off. For example, in stem cells, having a lot of growth factors available can guide them to become a specific type of cell.
Cell-Cell Interactions: Cells talk to each other! Signals from nearby cells are important. Sometimes, cells send out growth factors that help other cells turn on genes needed for growth.
Physical Environment: The area around the cells, like whether it feels hard or soft, can change how genes work. Cells in a soft environment might choose a different path than those in a hard one.
Epigenetic Modifications: Things in the environment can change how genes are read without changing the actual DNA. This can do with things like DNA tags, which affect how genes are expressed.
In summary, these factors show how closely connected our genes are to their environment. As cells sense what’s around them, they make decisions about what they’ll become.
Environmental factors play a big role in how genes behave when cells change and grow. Here’s how this happens:
Nutrient Availability: The type and amount of nutrients can turn certain genes on or off. For example, in stem cells, having a lot of growth factors available can guide them to become a specific type of cell.
Cell-Cell Interactions: Cells talk to each other! Signals from nearby cells are important. Sometimes, cells send out growth factors that help other cells turn on genes needed for growth.
Physical Environment: The area around the cells, like whether it feels hard or soft, can change how genes work. Cells in a soft environment might choose a different path than those in a hard one.
Epigenetic Modifications: Things in the environment can change how genes are read without changing the actual DNA. This can do with things like DNA tags, which affect how genes are expressed.
In summary, these factors show how closely connected our genes are to their environment. As cells sense what’s around them, they make decisions about what they’ll become.