The Influence Of Epigenetics

The human body carries trillions of cells, and each cell is specialized for particular functions in bones, brain, and the muscles. The difference in each cell is determined when each set of genes are controlled by each cell. The epigenome takes full control of how these changes take place in the cells to the

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.

The most compelling piece of information that I read from the article "Epigenetics: Its What Turns You On...and Off" (Schardt, 2013) is how children born from the same mother, before gastric bypass surgery and after the surgery, had different patterns of epigenetic marks than their siblings. It would not have crossed my mind that being overweight would actually have an affect on your genes, that could be passed down to your offspring. Researchers have also reported that the gene IGF2 was more turned on in those born to obese fathers, which might increase the risk of becoming overweight in adulthood (Schardt, 2013). So they chances that a child becomes overweight is on both parents and not just one.

How would you feel if you knew that the food you eat could affect your future offspring? The things you do today could affect your child tomorrow. The science of epigenetics examines this concept. Epigenetics is the study of how heritable genes are influenced by environmental factors and the lifestyle one chooses. To get a deeper insight into the great world of epigenetics, we will describe it’s origin, how it affects people, and how it can potentially help in the future.

Epigenetic factors are compounds that attach to, or "mark" DNA. These factors interact with genetic material, but do not change the underlying DNA sequence. Instead, they act as chemical tags, indicating what, where, and when genes should be "turned on" or expressed. Some epigenetic factors come from natural sources or are even encoded in the DNA, and are a normal part of gene regulation. That is, the epigenome helps control which genes are active in a particular cell, and therefore, which proteins are transcribed locally. For example, epigenetic factors tell brain cells to act like brain cells, and skin cells to behave like skin cells. In the absence of a normal epigenome, disease can occur. These factors are also increasingly implicated in social and behavioral traits.

Many studies have explored the impact of nature and nurture on stuttering behavior, but for our project we wanted to focus on epigenetics as well as specific genes hypothesized to be related to stuttering. Epigenetics is sometimes referred to as the bridge connecting nature and nurture. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence. In other words, a change in phenotype without a change in genotype. Epigenetics is suggested to reside in methyl groups, histones, and noncoding RNA. DNA methylation can be compared to turning on a faucet, in which this process turns genes “on” and “off.” Meanwhile, histones control “how much water is flowing through the faucet, by determining how tightly or loosely the DNA is wound and “read.” Finally, non-coding RNA are functional RNA molecules that are transcribed from DNA but not translated into proteins.

Not only social experiences cause epigenetic changes, but also the lifestyle. Although epigenetic marks are more consistent during adulthood, it follows the human lifespan through the malleability of the lifestyle varieties and environmental impact. Nutritional bioactivity in certain foods can modify gene expression via alteration in DNA with methylation and histone modifications, which have influences on health and wellbeing (“Epigenetics: the link between nature and nurture,” 2013). Studies have revealed that different foods have different impacts on the epigenome and health; for example, diets that are high in fat, and low in low carbohydrates may open up chromatin and improve mental capability via HDAC (histone deacetylase) inhibitors (Epigenetics: Fundamentals, History, and Examples | What is Epigenetics?, n.d.). While other studies have shown that consuming certain

The topic of whether nature or nurture is more important in the shaping of a person's personality. To start off, the heredity is the passing of mental and physical characteristics from one generation to another. On the other hand of the debate, the nurture/environment is basically the place a person grew up in, personal experiences, early childhood life etc... The debate has a long history as one of the oldest debates in psychology. The longevity of the debate and the great importance of both aspects of a person's personality makes side picking extremely difficult. However, one side does have an advantage over the other.

factors that cause certain genes to be switched on and off, effecting how genes are expressed. Epigenetics focuses on how the genome is read as genetics focuses on the mutations. The environment is not the only thing that can affect the genome an individual lifestyle can interact directly with the genome and influence an epigenetic change. Different changes can be reflected during different stages of an individual’s life or may take place years later in future generations. The regulation of epigenetics involves the modification of DNA and associated proteins, changing the conformation of DNA without changing the sequence of DNA.

Epigenetic inheritance is different from “normal” inheritance because epigenetic inheritance inherited traits that cannot be explained by changes in a DNA sequence. For every trait, an organism receives two alleles (one from mom and one from dad.) Epigenetic inheritance goes against the idea that inheritance happens only through the DNA code that passes from parent to offspring. It means that a parent's experiences, in the form of epigenetic tags, can be passed down to future generations.

Studies have shown that our ancestors experience’s may leave a mark on our genes. Geneticists were surprised to find that epigenetic change could be passed down from parent to child. A study from Randy Jirtle of Duke University showed that when female mice are fed a diet rich in methyl groups, the fur pigment of subsequent offspring is permanently altered without changing the DNA. Madrid, Szyf and Meaney considered a hypothesis: “If diet and chemicals can cause epigenetic changes, could certain experiences — child neglect, drug abuse or other severe stresses — also set off epigenetic changes to the DNA inside the neurons of a person’s brain?” This study states that the biology of DNA will stay the same how ever psychological and behavioral tendencies are inherited.

Although not often discuessed in grade school, evolutionary mechanisms span further than simply the inheritance of “A-T-C-G” DNA nucleotides from our parents. Epigenetics is a specialized field within genetics that focuses on the evolutionary changes induced by genetic factors, such as transposons, and how they can cause an alteration of gene expression and disease. The study of the human epigenome is still relatively new, and exponentially advancing. With this being said, researchers still have questions regarding this complex evolutionary mechanism's implications in microevolution, and potentially macroevolution (Skinner, 2015).

Epigenetics studies the biological information that can be inherited in addition to the DNA, through biochemical changes such as methylation and histone modifications that can affect gene expression and lead to a particular phenotype [9]. Epigenetic plasticity can be influenced by internal and external factors, such as the in utero environment of early development [9]. The intrauterine environment can have short and long term effects on the health and future disease state of offspring. To look into the effects of the intrauterine environment, several factors need to be taken into account. This discussion will include the effects of maternal environmental conditions on the health of offspring, including type 1 and 2 diabetes,

The “new genetics” research in molecular biology, as this month’s invited Presidential Column by Frances Champagne illustrates, has important implications for psychological science (so important, in fact, that it will be the topic for the Presidential Symposium at our upcoming annual APS convention this May in San Francisco). Professor Champagne’s analysis shows how recent findings in epigenetics speak to basic and enduring questions not just within psychology, but in virtually all discussions about human character and individual differences, from philosophical symposia to dinner conversations. How much is nature? How much is nurture? Champagne takes us elegantly and at high speed from that old question toward a new understanding of the “gene

Epigenetic changes can be defined as functional, heritable changes in DNA, that do not involve a change in the nucleotide sequence[1]. Transcriptional regulation can be controlled through epigenetic modification and thereby can affect gene expression (44). Epigenetic modifications are important regulators of numerous biological processes like spermatogenesis. Nowadays there is a lot of attention to epigenetic changes as a role in identifying genetic causes of male infertility. In fact epigenetic regulations play an important role in proper spermatogenesis and fertility preservation (45).