Epigenetic Genetics

Introduction

The complex field of genetics is the utmost rapidly developing fields in the scientific world. Genetics is a branch of biology that deals with heredity and understanding the genetic structure of genes in living organisms. While humans have not yet reached a complete understanding of genetics, recent technologies have led to many conclusive and significant breakthroughs in this field. The action of all cells is controlled by specific genetic material called DNA, which is stored inside the nucleus of eukaryote organisms. DNA is made up of many sets of genes, which therefore provide the chemical codes for all proteins that create an organism. Generally, DNA is comprehended that the gene coding definitively decides the gene expression

The term epigenetics was initially instituted in 1942 by C.H Waddington, and is the investigation of heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve an adjustment in gene coding. (reference) It has been thought that “the epigenome is just as critical as DNA to the healthy development of organisms”(reference) , due to sensitive environmental cues and instructs the genome on how to function by controlling the access of transcriptional proteins to DNA. These new findings in science still reveal many gaps in understanding, but epigenetic researchers are working towards determining the molecular sequences that controls gene expression. This extended response will be discussing the relevance of epigenetics on our present understanding of heredity, but also includes understanding of DNA, inclusion of two supporting case studies and implications epigenetics

The subject of traditional genetics alludes to the genome as the complete sequence of bases along a strand of DNA, the part epigenetic elements deals with the role of environmental factors in determining the epigenome of a cell and henceforth gene expression. Depending on each cell, some do not constantly require every gene it contains in its DNA, cells require their genes to be expressed or “turned on”, for example hair follicle cells or in other cells, for example muscle cells, and the gene is “turned off”. While the field of epigenetics is not yet entirely comprehended by epigeneticists , its incorporations of genomic engraving gives a precise clarification of inheritance.

The new theory of epigenetics possess several mechanisms which enhances the understanding of epigenetics for example; DNA methylation, Chromatin remodelling, histone modification and non- coding RNAs. DNA methylation is the procedure of a methyl (CH3) cluster added to the 5- carbon of the cytosine ring to produce 5- methylcytosine. (come back to this