Welcome: Let's Introduce Heterochromatin

Hello and welcome!  This blog is dedicated to explaining the role of heterochromatin in gene expression and giving a glimpse into the real world practice of scientific research in the laboratory.  We will focus most specifically on heterochromatin in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies), as it is the model organism we utilize in our research.  This work is taking place in the Elgin Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis, and is part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation.  
The posts in this blog will be aimed at educating people about the function and regulation of heterochromatin, focusing on its importance in biological processes.  A basic knowledge of genetics will be helpful in understanding the subjects covered here, but every attempt will be made to make these posts accessible to non-experts.
This blog will be updated weekly, starting with a series of informative posts discussing heterochromatin, gene expression, and flies.  Bookmark this page and join us next week for a definition and discussion of heterochromatin.