Unlocking the secrets of gene expression

This image shows TFIID (blue) as it contacts the DNA and recruits the polymerase (grey) for gene transcription. The start of the gene is shown with a flash of light. Your DNA governs more than just what color your eyes are and whether you can curl your tongue. Your genes contain instructions for making all your proteins, which your cells constantly need to keep you alive. But some key aspects of how that process works at the molecular level have been a bit of a mystery--until now.