If all human cells contain the same DNA, then how come your eye cells and your bone cells are different?

Question

Is it something encoded in the DNA itself, or something on the side that makes cells different?

In: Biology

Answer 1

You are talking about gene expression, where the cells read the genetic blueprint and activates a particular part. There’s this whole new field called epigenetics that deals with how the body reads the DNA. Think of it like playing a piano, gene expression would be playing the notes and which notes in which order plays a melody whereas epigenetics would be the tone, which notes are played louder etc, thereby changing the feel of the melody.