Essay about What is Epigenetics and How Can It Effect Me?

Epigenetics, involves the expression of phenotypical characteristics in an individual without directly altering the genetic code. Instead the phenotypes manifest through the use of external factors, such as, trauma, stressors, environment and chemical exposure that result in the silencing and alteration of gene expression without altering or mutating the genetic code. This essay will look into the importance of the study of epigenetics through the effects of epigenetics on genes, as well as the effects of experience and inheritance on the development of epigenetic based phenotypical characteristics.

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.

Burying the dogma of the genomics fixity, epigenetics demonstrates that our lifestyle changes our genes and we pass these mutations on. This discovery opens up new prospects of cure for many diseases. At the level of our genome, there are two kinds of genes: exons which are genes that are expressed and induce the production of certain proteins, and introns which are genes that are eliminated in the transcription of the RNA, and which therefore are not expressed. Environmental conditions could change that by opening introns or closing exons with all possible intermediate situations between these two extremes, from this perspective, epigenetics would correspond to an open or closed switch, to varying degrees. These different positions of switches then open the door to many combinations of genes. This seems to go against a current scientific dogma that considers the genome of a person is inherited from the parents and then remains fixed and determined for his entire life. Moreover, according to the evolutionary theory of Darwin, if mutations occur in a species facing a changing environment, these changes occur only over extremely long periods of time that often number in the thousands or even millions years. Epigenetics shows that on the contrary, these changes are a natural way and very common in nature. With Epigenetics: we can change our

Epigenetics refers to external modifications to DNA that turn genes on or off. These alterations do not change the DNA sequence, but instead, they affect how cells read genes. One common example of an epigenetic change is DNA methylation. DNA methylation is the addition of a methyl group to part of the DNA molecule which prevents certain genes from being expressed. It should be noted that epigenetics is a fairly new subdivision in genetics and its importance in evolution and heritability is currently being developed and debated (Furrow 2011).

In fact, epigenetics opens wide opportunities to enhance studies in the field of medicine, biology, zoology and other fields of science. In some directions, epigenetics can help to make a breakthrough in the development of some fields of science. This is why one should never narrow the scope and potential of epigenetics. The understanding of chemical reactions and genome activation and deactivation are extremely important for understanding of fundamental principles of the development of living beings and their functioning in the course of their

For example, in the video they cloned one cat and expected it to look like the original cat, but on the contrary the clone cat did not resemble to original cat at all. (Films Media Group 2009) That lead to more research which brought out the caterpillar and butterfly thesis. The butterfly and caterpillar have the same exact DNA but the genes are expressed differently. (Films Media Group 2009) In the nucleus, environmental factors get absorbed and that causes our bodies to be able to adapt to the changes from the environment, our diets, etc. (Films Media Group 2009) The following video, “Epigenetics: How Food Upsets Us”, talks about twins who live in different countries. They have identical DNA but from environmental factors they have differences as well. The nucleus has chromosomes made up of the DNA chains that hold the genes, the DNA is wrapped around nucleosomes (which are chunks of protein) when the methyl groups connect to DNA the nucleosomes get closer to each other. (German United Distributors 2008) Since they are so close together, the DNA in that area can no longer be read so they are shut

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:

The environmental factors that impact the epigenome are diet of the organism, involvement in physical activities and exposure to toxins and stress.

A roadmap to our future is predetermined by our genetical makeup. However, can external influences such as environment and lifestyle unlock who we are? The study to understand heritable changes in genetical expression is called Epigenetics. Héctor González-Pardo and Marino Pérez Álvarez(2013) describes Epigenetics as the examination of the heritable complex genetical alterations that are shaped by environmental factors which don’t cause changes to the DNA Sequence. In other words, different cell/organism must use the same script in different ways. The study of epigenetics explores the idea that DNA is a script and not a manual. Accordingly, we can positively influence our lives as well as the lives of our offspring by leading a healthy lifestyle.

The PBS video called “Epigenetics” brought to light some very interesting views. Through rats scientist have been able to see the works of epigenetics and believe that the finding have led to the idea that the change in genetics has the same effect on humans. The most interesting part of the video was that younger pairs of twins have very similar genes, but the older pairs of twin have more epigenetic difference in their genes. This validates the idea that the epigenetic difference in old twins is caused by environmental factors such as lifestyle choices. The idea also alludes to the idea that our parents and grandparents healthy and epigenetics may affect my heath and my children’s health. This leads to the inclination that my child’s health

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.

What is epigenetics? Epigenetics to me is the alteration to 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 on 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; we were able to see how much of a difference the Spanish twins genome

What is epigenetics and where do they come from? Epigenetics precisely means “above or “on top of” genetics. This refers to outside changes to DNA that turns genes “on” or “off.” These alterations do not change the DNA sequence, but instead they modify how cells “read” genes. One example is DNA methylation. Rachael Rettner states that “this is an accumulation of a methyl group, or a chemical cap, to part of the DNA molecule that prevents certain genes from being expressed” (Rettner). Another example of epigenetics is histone modification. These are proteins that our DNA wrap their self around. If our bodies did not contain histones then our DNA would be too large to fits inside our cells.

Phenotypes depend on the genes that code for them, but the expression of genes can depend on multiple factors including the environment. Epigenetics is a field in science that focuses on how the environmental plays a role in in the development of certain phenotypes by affecting gene expression. Epigenetics influences all species and works through DNA methylation and can be influenced by multiple external factor such as growth hormones.