It is now well - established that DNA sequence is complemented
by epigenetic information including DNA methylation and histone modifications to program gene expression [24].
Furthermore, animal studies suggest that harsh parenting affects the expression of genes
by epigenetic processes.
In the rat, these effects are reversed by cross-fostering, demonstrating that they are defined
by epigenetic rather than genetic processes.
Finally, behaviours of offspring may be influenced
by epigenetic mechanisms.
Many phytochemicals can reactivate tumor suppressor genes silenced
by epigenetic modifications.
Much of this interplay may be moderated
by epigenetic changes.
The difference in eye colour is determined
by epigenetic factors.
The causes of the widespread differential expression of non-coding RNAs in malignant compared with normal cells can be explained by the location of these genes in cancer - associated genomic regions,
by epigenetic mechanisms and by alterations in the processing machinery.
New research led by the University of Bristol has found that genes in the brain that play a crucial role in behavioural adaptation to stressful challenges are controlled
by epigenetic mechanisms.
The article claimed the phenomenon was primarily driven
by epigenetic modification of chromatin.
Determining how ES cell genes are modified
by these epigenetic markers may explain these cells» unique characteristics, said the scientists, who are based at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), both under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A * STAR), as well as at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Especially in this vulnerable phase, the kidney is prone to a number of mechanistic changes driven
by epigenetic alterations.
During the multistep process of carcinogenesis, decreased expression of tumor suppressors is often caused
by epigenetic modification or abnormal degradation (48, 49).
This happens
by epigenetic silencing of the other copy, where specific marks on the DNA carry a memory of whether a gene sitting on a copy of a chromosome came from the sperm or the egg.
The majority of that specialization is governed
by epigenetic changes — histone modifications, DNA accessibility, and methylation — that influence when and how genes are expressed.
In these cases, it looks like the genes are being silenced at inappropriate times
by epigenetic changes.
In animal models, maternal diet alters offspring body composition, accompanied
by epigenetic changes in metabolic control genes.
Gene expression is regulated
by epigenetic chemical modifications (including methylation and acetylation) on chromatin — histone proteins tightly associated with DNA.
«Cancer - killing cells controlled
by epigenetic process.»
Instead, viruses mute the immune system
by epigenetic regulation — instead of changing the actual code of genes, viruses change the degree to which genes are expressed.
The readability of genes is controlled
by epigenetic factors, namely factors which do not influence the gene sequence directly, but rather cause certain genes and chromosomal segments to be packed in different densities — and thus make them accessible for reading.
The findings uncovered an adaptation pathway comprising the normally antagonizing molecules FOXOs and c - Myc, which are regulated
by epigenetic compounds.
It thereby limited gene repression
by epigenetic histone methylation.
Instead, AP2 - G can be activated
by epigenetic mechanisms providing a plausible explanation for how low - level sexual conversion is triggered,» says Cortés.
«There's an intrinsic process that drives aging, and that may be what's captured
by this epigenetic clock.»
«Our results therefore indicate that the increased disease risk associated with smoking is partly a caused
by epigenetic changes.
Later in life the genetic material can be changed
by epigenetic modifications, i.e. chemical alterations of the DNA the affect the activity of the genes.
The researchers identified a surveillance mechanism that not only monitors DNA lesions caused
by epigenetic reprogramming but also fixes the damage.
As further analyses of the scientists have shown, the DPP4 gene in human liver is regulated
by epigenetic changes just as in mice.
The two - step process of TILT — getting sick upon toxicant exposure and failing to get well — may be driven
by epigenetic changes, which occur when the environment alters the expression of genes without changing the core DNA code itself.
This led Pembrey to suspect that genes on the sex - specific X and Y chromosomes were being affected
by epigenetic signals.
Gene expression is regulated
by epigenetics — patterns of chemical signals that are «above» the gene sequence.
A reverse situation can also happen; sometimes genes can be abnormally turned on
by epigenetics, causing uncontrollable cell growth and the appearance of a tumor.
Given that low maternal sensitivity and anxiety are interrelated, the association with childhood AD may be similarly mediated
by epigenetics or neuroendocrine dysregulation [88, 104, 110], and altered infant cytokine profiles [111].
Not exact matches
Just as the flow of a stream is determined
by a specific landscape, so it seems that the growth and development of the proteins follow an «
epigenetic landscape» which is extraneous to the physico - chemical forces that energize the growth process.8 And just as the geographical landscape is extraneous to the flow of water
by the power of gravitation, so the
epigenetic landscape is extraneous to the «flow» of energized matter operating
by physico - chemical forces in the organism's epigenesis.
The same may be true for
epigenetic changes passed down
by dad to a female fetus.
Epigenetics are heritable changes caused
by factors other than DNA.
The hypothesis could be tested
by examining
epigenetic marks in parents of kids with gay versus straight offspring, Rice said.
Embryonic stem cells are produced during development
by the same process of
epigenetic programming that later will produce adult cells such as skin and brain.
Indeed, the ability to clone animals, such as Dolly the sheep,
by fusion of an adult cell to an enucleated oocyte demonstrates that the
epigenetic programming responsible for maintaining an adult cell in a stable state can be erased
by factors present in the cytoplasm of the oocyte.
If you postulate that life and mind were brand new principles which began to appear at some time and were not at all present earlier, you have an
epigenetic evolutionary view; if,
by contrast, you find the rudiments present in all nature universally, this is a preformistic view.
Epigenetics is a big word but it simply means the process
by which your genes are turned on or off (aka expressed) in good or bad ways.
Michael Meaney provided the first documented example of
epigenetics affecting behavior in 2004, when his research team found that how a rat responds to stress later in life is affected
by the amount of nurturing a mother rat provides during infancy.
Epigenetics provides evidence that the nature versus nurture controversy has been resolved and that each is shaped
by the other through a series of complex chemical, biological and environmental interactions.
«MicroRNAs are an
epigenetic material that is made
by our bodies and is not present in formula.
Thirdly, most scientists now agree that socialization does impact on biology — as suggested
by theories of
epigenetic and brain plasticity.
It will bring together expert social, biological and medical scientists to take forward thinking and explore the opportunities for promoting co-operation and collaboration between scientists and social scientists in the field of
epigenetics The symposium is being organised
by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) with support from the Genomics Forum, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Vaz and Baylin say the results suggest that early
epigenetic changes triggered
by chronic cigarette smoke exposure can build up over time and make the airway cells increasingly sensitive to responding to mutations that initiate cancer.
The field of cancer
epigenetics was recently transformed
by the finding that genes encoding for
epigenetic regulators are among the most commonly mutated genes in human cancers.
It is believed to have an
epigenetic function, regulating other genes
by switching them off when necessary.