Literally speaking, Epigenetics means "ON" (epi) the genes - Its really the field of science that deals with the expression of the genes in all of us.
When I first read about it, it was a completely radical idea to me. I do have a background in biology and have had a strong passion for the field for as long as I can remember being a science student but even for me DNA was the be-all end-all of human existence. What I was missing is the fact that although the DNA is the same in all the billion cells in us, they express themselves differently to be different parts of the body. Every cell that makes my brain has the same DNA structure as every cell in my heart too. Interesting!
This in fact leads us to other questions - What really specializes the cells into their many different roles?
What influences can change the way the genes express themselves? Can I control it?
Epigenetic mechanisms give many convincing explanations in an attempt to tackle these intriguing questions. In simple words, epigenetics is a layer of control which resides on top of the genetic makeup and decides which gene is expressed when and how. DNA brings with it the potential to be anything but does not guarantee its expression. A lot depends on the histones which are complex protein structures that bind the DNA inside the nucleus of cells. These histones seem to have the final say- however, these histones are subject to change rather easily by processes such as acetylation, methylation et cet ra.
Here is where it gets interesting to the layman - modification of these histones which eventually control the expression of genes has a strong link to the environmental conditions in which the people grow, the food they consume, the choices they make as part of their lifestyle and the like. Does that mean that evolution does not really take tens of thousands of years like Darwin suggested?? Not really, nothing that is public knowledge suggests that there is a complete change in the genetic makeup from one generation to the next - its only the change in expression, something that can change from one generation to the next and even several times in every lifetime.
This is a relatively young field of research with funding beginning to flow only recently. The international Human Epigenome Consortium was recently launched with great persuasion from the cancer research societies in US, Europe and France marking the first big step towards generating universal interest in the field. The potential outcomes of such a research esp. in the treatment of diseases is staggering. Imagine, being in the high-risk category for a disease and still being able to avoid it - not to forget the ability it gives us to carve ourselves by changing things that are very tangible and external to our body.
Epigenetic mechanism in organisms is like a software sitting on top of the hardware.
You need the hardware(DNA) to build the system but you need good software(Epigentic Mechanisms) to ensure that the system works well!
Related Links:
Human Epigenome Project
Epigenetics - DNA isnt everything - Science Daily
When I first read about it, it was a completely radical idea to me. I do have a background in biology and have had a strong passion for the field for as long as I can remember being a science student but even for me DNA was the be-all end-all of human existence. What I was missing is the fact that although the DNA is the same in all the billion cells in us, they express themselves differently to be different parts of the body. Every cell that makes my brain has the same DNA structure as every cell in my heart too. Interesting!
This in fact leads us to other questions - What really specializes the cells into their many different roles?
What influences can change the way the genes express themselves? Can I control it?
Epigenetic mechanisms give many convincing explanations in an attempt to tackle these intriguing questions. In simple words, epigenetics is a layer of control which resides on top of the genetic makeup and decides which gene is expressed when and how. DNA brings with it the potential to be anything but does not guarantee its expression. A lot depends on the histones which are complex protein structures that bind the DNA inside the nucleus of cells. These histones seem to have the final say- however, these histones are subject to change rather easily by processes such as acetylation, methylation et cet ra.
Here is where it gets interesting to the layman - modification of these histones which eventually control the expression of genes has a strong link to the environmental conditions in which the people grow, the food they consume, the choices they make as part of their lifestyle and the like. Does that mean that evolution does not really take tens of thousands of years like Darwin suggested?? Not really, nothing that is public knowledge suggests that there is a complete change in the genetic makeup from one generation to the next - its only the change in expression, something that can change from one generation to the next and even several times in every lifetime.
This is a relatively young field of research with funding beginning to flow only recently. The international Human Epigenome Consortium was recently launched with great persuasion from the cancer research societies in US, Europe and France marking the first big step towards generating universal interest in the field. The potential outcomes of such a research esp. in the treatment of diseases is staggering. Imagine, being in the high-risk category for a disease and still being able to avoid it - not to forget the ability it gives us to carve ourselves by changing things that are very tangible and external to our body.
Epigenetic mechanism in organisms is like a software sitting on top of the hardware.
You need the hardware(DNA) to build the system but you need good software(Epigentic Mechanisms) to ensure that the system works well!
Related Links:
Human Epigenome Project
Epigenetics - DNA isnt everything - Science Daily
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteEpigenetics is the study of heritable changes in phenotype or gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence. These changes may remain through cell divisions for the remainder of the cell's life and may also last for multiple generations. Thanks a lot!
Epigenetics