Researchers studied light-sensing cells in fruit fly retinas and found that clock proteins directly control only a minority of daily genes. The way DNA is packaged inside cells also follows a daily rhythm and helps time when genes switch on and off.
In the retina, disrupted daily rhythms can lead to degeneration, so timing is tied to eye health. Learning that DNA packaging, not just clock proteins, sets gene schedules gives researchers a second angle for studying degeneration and how cells keep daily order.
✦ Even in the eye, timing is written into how DNA is packed.