Question Questions On Epigenome

Epigenetics is the future of science. It has evolved from being a science that very few believed in, to one that will shape medicine as it is known. As the Human Genome Project began, the goal was to determine which genes controlled what phenotypes in a human. After all the genes were identified and mapped, the expression of the genes that the scientists had just discovered was also beginning to be analyzed (EPIGENETICS). Although every gene had been identified and associated with a function, there were genes that if not expressed or not turned on, would create a different scenario. That is, the idea that the genotype of an individual would determine their phenotype was reinforced. Epigenetics however is the study of the switching on or off of the genes responsible for a particular action (Feinberg). For example, all of the organs of a single person have the exact same DNA as the others, yet a lung looks drastically different from a kidney. This is due to the expression of the genes responsible for creating a specific organ. If scientists are able to control the switching on and off of these genes, then many extraordinary possibilities exist.

“A person is more than a collection of cells created by 46 chromosomes. To focus on the biological realities of genes and

Epigenetics, essentially, affects how genes are read by cells, and subsequently how they produce proteins.

Researchers first thought the genes you receive from your parents are set in stone since they are made of a genetic code set in our DNA sequence;however, they are discovering that there is a second layer of structure that combines with DNA to decide whether or not a gene is active or not, called the epigenome. The epigenome consists of the DNA, histones, a protein DNA is wrapped around, and chemical tags. The epigenome alters the genetic code by directing signals. The signals come from the environment, which are reacted upon by epigenetic tags to turn a gene either on or off without affecting the DNA sequence. Certain things from our environment that send signals to epigenetic tags to change our genes in the epigenome includes the following:

Epigenetics can be defined as a way of turning on and off certain genes in your body, which as evidence has shown, we have a lot more control of than we thought. The video on epigenetics was so great, I did not have a clear idea of what epigenetics was. Watching the video really enlightens how far we have come in research of the human body. I find the advancements that have been made using epigenetics with cancer to be one of the best sections of the thirteen minute video. Just knowing the fact that half of the patients that complied with the research whom had cancer to begin with are now in remission is a great accomplishment. I also found the fact that we have more control over our epigenes, we are to modify our own genes by just following

Define Epigenetics  Epigenetics is the study of chemical reactions and factors that influence the reactions controlling growth and development of an organism to be activated or deactivated in specific locations of genome at specific times.

Epigenetics is a field where advances are being made daily. Epigenetics is defined as “heritable changes in gene expression that occur without a change in DNA sequence,” as stated by Dr. Alan Wolffe. A way in which we can understand this definition is by taking the analogy of a card game. The cards, the DNA sequence, have been dealt and will not change, however we need to understand how to play the cards, the rules, which is epigenetics. The guidelines can vary and completely change the way the card game is played and who comes out on top. The rules that are studied and understood through this research paper are those of DNA methylation and chromatin. These changes can produce

Contrasted when you look at the three olds epigenome there were still completely the same with much of the yellow coloring shown, this illustrated that over our lifetime epigenome change, enforcing that old saying “you are what you eat” and reminding us all that we have more control than what we thought we did in what goes on in our bodies on a cellular level.

For years, scientists believed DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, was the end-all-be-all: a mould for our cells to be created from. Which does not sound far-fetched since DNA contains all of the information needed for replication, differentiation, growth, and development, in addition to the countless cellular fates, as described in Waddington’s landscape. Instead, DNA is a guide for our cells, and Epigenetics is the tool that coerces them into their final cellular form. The Epigenetics Revolution: How Modern Biology Is Rewriting Our Understanding of Genetics, Disease, and Inheritance written by Nessa Carey, outlines the process of DNA versus Epigenetics, and the developments they have had within the scientific field. This paper will examine the fundamental distinction constructed by Nessa Carey between DNA as a script versus a template. This analogy of DNA as a script.

When chemical tags are labeled the modifications are called epigenetic modification. These can be classified as modifications that take place on or above the genes. Epigenetic modification permits lasting changes in gene expression. Epigenetics studies the changes in gene expression or development caused by mechanisms other than changes in the primary DNA sequence. Epigenetics demonstrates how DNA interacts with the multitude of smaller molecules found within cells which can activate and deactivate cells. Epigenetics can be highly based off of nature versus nurture. Epigenetic changes are a part of normal development. As genes are activated some are

A human body is made up of billions of cells that form all our diverse

Individuals begin life as a single cell, that tiny matter is our entire genetic code-information that through a long process helps us grow from a cell to a person formed from trillions of cells. Each one of those cells contains a replica of the original code. That code is carried by DNA that is in our genes. Each gene has its own location relating to it chromosome. DNA is a complex molecule that contains genetic

In one very scientific example of epigenetics in work, scientists were looking at mice and a fear response. In the initial set of male mice, they exposed the mice to a particular smell and then immediately after

The human genome is essentially a set of instructions that consists of various DNA molecules that are unique to each individual human being. This huge collection of genes inside each and every one human’s cells dictate trait that are inherited from ther parents, which can range from one’s hair color to one’s height. Genes are made up of Deoxyribosenucleic Acid (DNA), which consist of nucleotide bases: Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Cytosine (C), and Guanine (G). Adenine is paired with Thymine and Cytosine is paired with Guanine. This DNA is then paired with a sugar molecule and a phosphate molecule, to essentially come together and created two long strands that wrap around each other into a double helix formation (twisted ladder). Like mentioned before, these DNA strands make up a gene which can be found on something called a chromosome in the cell. These chromosomes contain the information required for the way the human body is built. In humans, the chromosomes are usually found in the heart of the cell known as the nucleus. The nucleus contains forty-six chromosomes (also known as twenty-three chromosome pairs): half are from the mother and half are from the father. The first twenty-two chromosome pairs are known as autosomes that house

Human DNA is found in 23 pairs of chromosomes and within these chromosomes are sections of DNA called genes. Genes make up the physical traits inherited and expressed from mom and dad. When the DNA found within these genes provides genetic instructions to encode proteins or other molecules, this is called gene expression. Gene expression is the process by which genetic information stored in a gene dictates a cells function. This process is essential as regulatory proteins control the rate of gene expression.