Annotated Bibliography: Can Genes Be Turned On And Off In Cell

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

The genome is the complete set of an individual’s inheritable traits or it’s DNA. As a fetus develops, signals are received that cause incremental change in the gene expression patterns. The DNA in our bodies is wrapped around proteins called histone. The histone and DNA are covered in chemical tags. This structure is called an epigenome. The epigenome shapes the structure of the genome. Epigenetic marks are modifications of DNA and histones. The epigenome tightly wraps inactive genes and allows active genes to be more easily accessible. The epigenome adjusts specific genes in response to our changing environment. The programming of neurons through epigenetic mechanisms is critical in neural development. A type of cellular memory is formed when those changes occur. These are epigenetic tags. Each tag records the cell’s experiences on the DNA. This is to help stabilize gene expression. Over time, and with thousands of different experiences, an epigenetic profile forms for each cell type. Each one is unique, with a distinct identity and a specialized function. A flexible epigenome allows us to adjust and learn from our mistakes. The epigenome responds to signals. These signals come from a variety of places. From fetal development to old age, our epigenome is effected by our environmental factors.

Epigenetics studies the evolvement of an organism while certain chemical reactions have place activating and deactivating parts of the genome at different times and in particular locations. It also studies the agents than influence those chemical reactions. It affects how genes are read by the cells. It deals with the idea that environmental factors could have a key role on the health not only of the people in contact with them, but to the health of their descendants. It’s not only related to passing negative health traits but positive healthy factors (Rettner, 2013).

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.

Cancer is beyond mutations. By definition, epigenetics is the change in gene translation that is caused by alterations not directly due to genetic mutations in the DNA sequence. The 2 main mechanisms are DNA methylation and covalent modification of histones. By methylation, certain molecular tags (methyl groups) bind to a specific sequence of a gene, that results in its disability hence incapable of being translated into its appropriate protein product. These changes affect the cell’s functions leaving its DNA unchanged. Epi is derived from Latin meaning above; hence an epigenetic configuration overlies our genetic predispositions.

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.

Epigenetic (defined as reversible regulation of various genome functions, occurring without change in DNA sequence)(6, 7) , modification has recently emerged as one of the

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.

My primary career goal is to become a physician practicing evidence-based medicine in making treatment decisions with patients. This, combined with my longstanding passion for genetics, prompted my MS application with hopes of developing an understanding for genetics, which I believe will maintain relevance and importance in the medical field throughout my lifetime. Within an understanding of research contributing to evidence-based medicine, in contrast to current practice-based research, I would especially like to investigate the role of epigenetics in diseased states.

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).

The development and importance of epigenetics has revealed to the world the explanation of many gene expressing mutations also factors that may account for genetic variation. The result of this observation helped many scientists around the world cures as well as new analysis methods to help survivors .The understanding obtained from the discovery of epigenetics has and will continue to inform ways of preventing and manipulating genetic expressions to our advantage throughout these upcoming generations. Throughout this essay response, the following information will cover the focus on how epigenetics can account for genetic variability in organisms, it will also relate to factors

Example of epigenetics…Epigenetics play a large role in the expression of certain genes. Through particular changes in the environment and genetic information, similar genomes can result in different organisms with very diverse features. Chromatin modification involves the regulation of genes by alterations, or specific additions, to chromatin. Unlike mutations, these modifications do not directly involve the nucleotide sequence and can be easily reversed. The presence of certain modifications can impact chromatin configuration and the recruitment of enzyme complexes to control DNA. Regulation of chromatin structure is a fundamental process that largely influences epigenetic inheritance through histone modifications, DNA methylation, and nucleosome

Epigenetic variation adds a regulatory layer to genome function (11). This environment-dependent regulation is implicated in many fundamental biological processes including developmental cell differentiation (9), stem cell function, aging (12) and disease progression and relapse (11, 13-15). Furthermore, understanding epigenetics paves the way for pharmaceutically targeting maladaptive variation (13, 16, 17).

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.