Plain-English explanations of MEF2C research terms, concepts, and scientific mechanisms.
**What it means:** The MEF2C gene is relatively large — about 12-13 kilobases (kb) of DNA. But the AAV vector can only carry about 4.7 kb of genetic material. So the UT Southwestern team had to "shrin...
What it means: CRISPR is a gene-editing tool that acts like molecular "scissors". It can find a specific DNA sequence and cut it, allowing researchers to delete, replace, or modify genes with extreme ...
**What it means:** Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene **activity** that don't involve changes to the DNA sequence itself. Think of your DNA as a piano — the keys (genes) are always there. Epi...
**What it means:** In gene therapy, an "expression cassette" is the **complete package of genetic instructions** packed into the viral vector. It's not just the MEF2C gene itself — it also includes: -...
**What it means:** DNA methylation is an **epigenetic** process — it doesn't change the DNA sequence itself, but adds chemical "tags" (methyl groups) to the DNA that tell genes to be more or less acti...