Explain What Are Some Environmental Factors That Impact The Epigenome

Environments that surround your childhood can play a great role in who you become in adolescence and adulthood. So, although Wes moved into a better neighborhood, he still was deeply affected by Cherry Hill. Epigenetics: What they are and how they relate to Wes (3.1, 3.2). Epigenetics is the idea of how behaviors and environments surrounding you affect the way your genes work. Changes from epigenetics are reversible, unlike genetic changes, and they do not affect your DNA sequence.

Such examples provide insight into how environmental factors have affected the evolution of certain populations, such as post-world-war-II Jewish populations. They also stress how phenotypes are affected by the environment. Moalem continues on to explain how epigenetics is a relatively new field, and that new advancements are discovered each day. Some of the examples provided in this chapter will be used in my paper to help support my thesis. Simmons, Danielle, Ph.D. "Epigenetic Influences and Disease."

A related phrase described by Waddington to help elaborate the phenomenon of epigenetics, the ‘epigenetic landscape’ attempts to explain how identical genotypes could result in a wide variety of phenotypic variation through the process of development. This epigenetic landscape can be dynamic – capturing genetic, environmental, and cell lineage effects – and has been shown to be at least partly heritable. (Szyf, M. (2015) Nongenetic inheritance and transgenerational epigenetics. Trends Mol. Med. 21, 134–144). The epigenetic code is hypothesized to be a defining code in every eukaryotic cell consisting of the specific epigenetic modifications in each cell. While in one individual the genetic code in each cell is the same, the epigenetic code is tissue & cell

Epigenetics is defined as the science that studies communicable and reversible changes in gene expression not involving changes in the genetic support that is DNA. These changes can occur at the DNA level (cytosine methylation) or DNA binding proteins

Do the experiences or events that your parents, grandparents or even great grandparents had in the past affect your genes? Why do some humans have mental health issues and others do not? Behavioral epigenetics examines how nurture shapes nature, where nature refers to biological heredity and nurture refers to everything that occurs during the animal 's lifespan. Epigenetics is the study of alterations in an organism caused by modifications of gene expressions instead of alterations of the genetic code itself. Behavioral epigenetics is the field of study, which analyzes the role epigenetics have in shaping human or animal behavior. Epigenetics works by wrapping DNA around histone octamers to form nucleosomes. Genes will be transcribed or silenced depending on the spacing of nucleosomes, which is determined by complex processes, including post-translational modification of DNA and histones as well as the large numbers of chromatin regulatory proteins recruited to interact with these modifications (Nestler). Behavioral epigenetics explains why humans and animals behave the way they do, not by changing the DNA, but by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code, which in turn changes behavior in multiple generations.

According to Rachael Rettner, Epigenetics is defined as, “external modifications to DNA that turn genes on or off. These modifications to DNA do not change the DNA sequence, but instead, they affect how cells read genes.” (Rettner 2013) Epigenetics is thought to possibly have a role in the development of some cancers. Since epigenetics modifies DNA, they can hide a growth, so to speak, or it can play a role in repairing the DNA’s damage. (Rettner 2013) If the changes are in the person’s sperm or egg cells, there is a possibility of that person’s children, or they’re children’s children, getting the modified DNA. (Rettner 2013) In a process called reprogramming, when the sperm and egg combine it allows the fetus to make its own epigenetic changes,

Science has proven that various factors such as stress and health can influence future generations. There are several aspects of genes that are affected by choices you make. One such aspect is methyl groups. Methyl groups are tags that attach onto genes and tell the body whether to express or not express that gene. They are like switches that turn on or off a genetic trait. Lifestyle choices, for example, high stress or illness can cause these methyl groups to be misplaced on the gene. For example, it can cause a methyl group to accidentally attach to a gene that controls cell growth regulation, hence disrupt cell growth and cause cancer. Another way the choices you make today affect your child is through histones. Histones are what the DNA wraps around to make a chromosome. The more tightly the DNA is wrapped around the histone, the less the genes in that area will be expressed. For example, if you eat a lot and do not exercise, the histones near the gene for food cravings and inactivity may loosen up and heavily express the trait. Histones are like the dimmers on the light switches that change how bright or dim the light is. While most of these epigenomes are removed when a new child is born, those that get passed on are significant

What is epigenetics? Epigenetics to me is the alteration of our genome that we are able to change in not only ourselves, but in our children and future generations as well all based on lifestyle habits we live today. After first watching the PBS video on epigenetics, I was astonished at how our ways of life have such a profound effect upon not only our genes but our future generations of children as well. In the video research was conducted on over forty identical twins ages ranging from three to seventy-four, this was to compare the lifestyle habits such as smoking, exercise, and different diets have on an individual. I found it fascinating that when there was comparing the genomes of the elderly Spanish twins compared to the three-year-olds;

Epigenetics is a fairly recent study of how the environment affects our gene expression; the word epi meaning “above”, hence epigenetics literally meaning “above genetics”. There are arguments whether or not it was lifestyle or genetics that affects our life expectancy. With epigenetics, there has been a realisation that our genes and the environment are much more closely related than previously thought. It’s some kind of middle ground.

The term epigenetics in its contemporary usage emerged in the 1990s, but for some years has been used in somewhat variable meanings.

Instead they go through a process of change overtime, or sometimes they’re hereditary. While watching the video, the host Neil deGrasse Tyson stated that our epigenomes tend to change during crucial times in our lives such as puberty and pregnancy. While our mothers were carrying us in their wombs for 9 months, they were passing on these epigenomes that we may pass on to our children. “Just as the genome is passed along from parents to their offspring, the epigenome can also be inherited. The chemical tags found on the DNA and histones of eggs and sperm can be conveyed to the next generation” ("Epigenomics," 2012).

Epigenetics can be hereditable or environmental factors that affect the expression of genes and lead to changes in gene expression. Unlike genetics, epigenetics does not only have to do with which genes are passed down to the offspring and the DNA sequence. The environmental conditions of the offspring’s parents impact the genes in their eggs and sperms by “switching on” certain genes and “switching of” others (Dowshen). Since the genes expression of the gametes are affect, the phenotypes of the offspring will change. Even in a person’s lifetime, environmental factors such as stress, chemical exposure, and diet can continue to impact gene expression through DNA methylation. During DNA methylation, a methyl group is randomly added to a 5-carbon cytosine ring, making 5-methylcytosine and these groups inhibit transcription. (Cheriyedath). Due the fact that transcription is not possible, the expressing of the genes in that section of the DNA strand will be suppressed. The attachment of the methyl group to DNA is not determined, which means that

There are two articles that I found, which gave a lot of informations about epigenetic and explained how the process of epigenetic works and how weird it can be. The process of epigenetic works by chemical tags, which is known as epigenetic marks that are tied to the deoxyribonucleic acid and which permit to either use or ignore specific gene. The most important epigenetic mark is a methyl group and it was said that in the midst of each generation there is a cell called primordial gene cell, where the epigenetic marks are removed from. The deoxyribonucleic acid methylation is also removed in primordial gene cell, which are changed to hydroxymethylation and it also restarts the gene of each generation.

Epigenetic means, in addition to changes in genetic sequence (Weinhold, 2006). It differs from genetics in various ways. Epigenetics examines alterations in gene expression caused by other mechanisms that do not alter the DNA sequences. This can cause identical twins to have different diseases. Genetics is a field of biology. The study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity encompass genetics. Every person inherits genes from both their parents (Mandal, 2013). Processes of epigenetics include methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitylation, and sumolyation. These processes can be a normal part of life but only if they occur properly (Weinhold, 2006).

Although almost everything in the universe can be explained by science, there are a few things that go against scientific reasoning, one of these things is epigenetic inheritance. It was previously thought an offspring only received the DNA that its parents were born with, and the epigenetic tags ( DNA that has been changed due to the parents’ experiences in life) from its parents were left out of its genetic makeup. Epigenetic inheritance is the theory that epigenetic tags from the parents are passed down to the offspring, contributing to the genetic makeup. The fascinating part about epigenetic inheritance is that it is potentially the key to understanding evolution and preventing various congenital diseases.