The Role Of Currcumin In Epigenetic Regulation

I took a semester off in the Spring of 2012 and 2013. In 2012, I helped care for my grandfather, who suffered from lung cancer and passed away that April. During my time off, I volunteered in the pediatric department of the hospital where he was staying. The inoperable nature of his cancer spurred me to shadow Dr Cheng, a radiation oncologist. In 2013, my mother was told that she might have breast cancer. With my father working in China, I took time off to be with her. I decided to transfer schools because Columbia dramatically decreased my financial aid for the upcoming year, while Brandeis offered me a full scholarship. With my mother’s health issues, I did not want to further burden her financially. I shadowed Dr Anderson, a pediatric geneticist at UT Genetic Center and validated a plasma cell enrichment procedure for the diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma.

To me epigenetics is the how behind each and every person’s personality. We always look for answers to questions, that are right now to incomprehensible to us but still trying to quantify them, and epigenetics is the latest answer. First we were looking at the gnome to try and answer medical questions of who and why certain people get diseases, now with that not giving us the results we want we are digging deeper into the bodies makeup trying to uncover its secrets.

One of the health problems turmeric relieves or can treat is cancer. The reason is due to the compounds in turmeric like curcumin. All you need to do is stock up on this spice or eat foods like

I think that both environmental and genetic factors influence traits of living organisms. Both hereditary and environmental effects influence organisms and the way they look and act. Traits affected by genetic or environmental factors include sexual orientation, twins (the way they look and act), physical appearance, IQ, and mental illnesses.

Fluoride is a dangerous poison and is often compared to lead and mercury by researchers.(6) In small amounts, fluoride can prevent tooth decay.(7) Within the last hundred years, the majority of developed countries have fluoridated water. (4) Recent studies from Harvard and the American Cancer Society show that fluoride in drinking water can have serious effects. A range of effects, from tooth defects to brain damage and cancer can occur. Increased toxins in the brain, irregular heart rate, and slower growth are also known. Studies have also shown that turmeric can reverse the effects of fluoride poisoning. Turmeric is a cooking spice originating in India (3), with a vivid color, which is caused by curcumin. Curcumin, currently seen in many supplements, and is used in medications to reverse swelling (5). In this experiment, there were four groups: embryo water, embryo water with turmeric added the next day, fluoride with turmeric added the next day, and fluoride. All of the groups had ten embryos each. The concentration of the fluoride was 3 mg/500 mL of water. The concentration for the turmeric was 5 mg/500 mL of water. Increased heart rate and larger food sacs were common among fluoride groups. Turmeric appeared to bring the heart rate down, though it caused some discoloration to the embryos. This is expected, though, as turmeric is known for its rich orange

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.

Curcumin is a standout amongst the most intense remedial agents related to turmeric. Free radicals and irritation are believed to assume a noteworthy part in aging and curcumin influences both.

Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modifications are widely considered to be important in controlling the differentiation of cells. However some argue that since these mechanisms are not seen or transient in model organisms such as worms and flies that epigenetics cannot be important. However it is also important to mention that there are very different definitions of the word epigenetics formed from independent reasoning which may affect the debate on whether epigenetics is important or not in controlling cell differentiation. (Berger et al., 2009)For example, to Conrad Waddington, it was the study of epigenesist ie. How genotypes give rise to phenotypes during development. On the other hand, Arthur Riggs

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).

Epigenetic modifications on histones and DNA exercise precise regulation of gene expression, and thus have a profound influence on cellular differentiation and function. The most widely studied modification on DNA is 5 methylcytosine (5mC) that frequently occurs in a CpG dinucleotide context. Initially, the de novo DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt) enzymes Dnmt3a and 3b mediate the transfer of the methyl group to cytosine, while the maintenance Dnmt1 ensures subsequent propagation of this mark through cell replication cycles. Because of prominent roles in gene repression, retro element silencing, X chromosome inactivation and gene imprinting, 5mC was initially thought to be irreversible. Thanks to burgeoning evidence, it is now clear that the methylcytosine can be removed through a number of mechanisms. Passive demethylation is proposed to remove 5mC over several cell replication cycles, through exclusion of the maintenance machinery from the replication fork. Active demethylation on the other hand constitutes removal of 5mC through enzymatic hydrolysis. The discovery of Ten Eleven Transclocation (TET) dioxygenase proteins was revolutionary. The TET proteins catalyze hydroxylation of 5mC to 5hmC, and conversion of 5hmC to 5-carboxylcytosine and finally to 5 formylcytosine. These 5mC derivatives enter the base excision repair pathway (BER), resulting in replacement of the methylcytosine with an unmodified cytosine. Second, although the role of deaminases is debated, these enzymes

My primary interest lies in understanding the epigenetics behind differentiation of embryonic cells into the complex cell structures such as neurons. For this, I want to learn the techniques to study epigenetic regulation, the molecular biology of the regulatory proteins and their structural uniqueness. What role does chromosome folding has in gene expression in early differentiation from embryonic stem cells? How to identify and modify the key factors in chromatin folding? Why does the folding and regulation become faulty? By answering these questions, I aim to understand as to why the same regulation, which, during embryogenesis gives rise to complex cells fails in a few individuals resulting in tumor and brain, related disorders. Learning

The activity of genes is reliant on mostly on whether they are available to transcription factors; this is vastly controlled by the dynamics of chromatin restructuring. Epigenetic modifications on the chromatin play a vital role in regulating the construction of chromatin and thus the availability of DNA for transcription. Some of the sites at the DNA that are transcripted can be turned on or off by epigenetic changes. Moreover, it has previously been verified that environmental factors, for example diet, cigarette and alcohol use, stress, or exposure to chemical carcinogens and infectious agents, Sexuality and age effect the epigenome. Today, because of importance in epigenetic processes, most scientists prefer to work in this field of research.

This all-in-one supplement for arthritis and other conditions touts super bioavailability. It is a blend of synergistic curcuminoids and essential oils from turmeric, Boswellia, and olive leaf. Curcumin, which is derived from turmeric is all the rage right now in the anti-arthritis supplement world and indeed has shown some exciting, anti-inflammatory results in studies.One of the problems associated with curcumin is its poor bioavailability into the body's system. This particular blend promises easy absorption and is relatively new on the market.

Human development from conception to adulthood is a conjoined partnership, moulded within our cells, of Nature (the DNA we inherit) and Nurture (the prevailing nutritional, social and physical environment). The field of epigenetic is quickly growing and with it the understanding that both the environment and individual lifestyle can also directly interact with the genome to influence epigenetic change. Developing organisms seem to have a wide range of susceptibility to epigenetic changes. Appropriate dynamics in epigenetic modifications are essential for embryogenesis, early fetal development and early postnatal growth. Consequently, the inadequate establishment of epigenetic modifications during critical developmental periods due to changes

In the first half of the twentieth century, developmental biology and genetics were separate disciplines. The word epigenetics was coined by Waddington to link the two fields. Epigenetics could be defined as the study of changes in gene expression that occur without a change in DNA sequence and are meiotically or mitotically heritable. Several decades later specific mechanisms were proposed in which information was superimposed on DNA sequences. Such changes in gene expression are achieved through the methylation of DNA, the post-translational modifications of histone proteins, and RNA-based silencing. Epigenetics has been implicated in complex diseases such as cancer, schizophrenia, cardiovascular disease and systemic lupus