The double helix structure of DNA deduced by Watson and Crick in 1953 explained the basic mechanism for how our genetic information can be inherited through replication. But understanding how our genes are turned on and off has been much more complicated partly due to the packaging of DNA with proteins (the histones) into chromatin. This Town Talk will introduce modern gene regulation research with a focus on chromatin, how it is recognized by gene regulation proteins and its relevance to cancer research.