What is Epigenetics?

What is Epigenetics? The study of heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence. Put another way, epigenetics involve a change in phenotype without a change in genotype.

Epigenetics play a pivotal role in regulating gene expression in virtually all cell types. Epigenetic modifications can allow cells to retain memory of past cellular states without altering the DNA sequence itself. Exactly how our immune system works, more or less, with antibody and T-cell-mediated immunity.

Epigenetic Molecular Modification Mechanisms

Acetylation: Substitution of a hydrogen atom (H+) for a acetyl group (C2H3O) in a molecule.
Methylation: Addition of a methyl group (CH3) to a molecule.
Phosphorylation: Addition of a phosphate group (PO43-) to a molecule.
Ubiquitylation: Addition of a ubiquitin protein to a molecule.
SUMOylation: Addition of a small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) protein to a molecule.
ADP Ribosylation: Addition of a ADP-Ribose protein to a molecule.
Deimination: Removal of an imine group to convert the amino acid arginine into the amino acid citrulline.

These modifications affect chromatin’s structure and create affinities for certain proteins, modulating gene expression. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNA molecules that mediate RNA silencing and regulate gene expression.

Remember, RNA is a nuclear genetic material. It stimulates epigenetic change. Change that is heritable.

Epigenome: A multitude of chemical compounds that alter the way an individual's genome is expressed. The human genome is the complete assembly of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), about 3 billion base pairs.

Generally, epigenetics is a field where researchers work to understand the functions of molecules that attach to DNA’s double helix. These “tags” affect how, when, or if, certain genes get expressed.

DNA holds the instructions for building the proteins that carry out a variety of functions in a cell. The epigenome is made up of chemical compounds and proteins that attach to DNA and direct many actions, including turning genes on or off and regulating what proteins are made by what genes.

When epigenetic compounds attach to DNA and modify its function they are said to have "marked" the genome. These marks do not change the sequence of the DNA. They change the way the DNA is used. These marks are often passed on from cell to cell as they divide and replicate. Aside from cellular heritability in a single organism, we know epigenetic changes can be passed on to offspring.

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Overview

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