Nicola Vickaryous and Emma Whitelaw Abstract
The unraveling of the human genome is revealing the intertwined nature of epigenetic phenomena and the genetic code. Epigenetic modifications can alter patterns of gene expression, independent of DNA sequence mutation. Instead, epigenetic marks modify the existing DNA sequence. These modifications include cytosine methylation in the promoter region of genes, a phenomena associated with transcriptional silencing, and recruitment of chromatin remodeling complexes. Epigenetic marks are established early in development, are mitotically, and in some cases meiotically heritable, and can have a profound impact on an organism's phenotype. Thus, epigenetic modifications provide a mechanism by which the permanent changes associated with fetal programming can occur.
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