Before conducting research and watching numerous informational videos on epigenetics, I would have never believed that when my grandmother was my age, she made dietary decisions that have affected me. Technically speaking, epigenetics simply means above genetics. In other words, epigenetics is the traits that you and I inherit, but do not necessarily necessitate the sequence of genes. I took me a while to actually grasp the concept until I thought of it from a musical perspective. Imagine our DNA helix strands as a musical score. There are different music notes as there are genes. If someone were to play Beethoven’s Symphony Number 5 correctly, it would sound the same every time. Basically, if one note is changed, the whole musical piece will sound different. It’s the same for the human body. Our genomes (musical notes) makes up our DNA and who we are (musical score). Although the score to Beethoven's Symphony and our genomes will stay the same throughout our life, our epigenomes tend to change or alter. There’s more to sheet music than just the notes. What about the articulations that tell us to play the note shorter or louder? That’s exactly what our epigenomes are. They’re adjustments that have been attached to our genomes. Epigenomes tell each and every one of ours cells what our specific job is. That why skin cells know that they’re skin cells and muscle cells know that they’re muscle cells. All in all, our genomes are doing all the work that the epigenomes tells them to do.
The NOVA Science Now video on epigenetics made an immense impact on my knowledge of epigenetics. This video helped me understand what epigenomes are made of. Epigenomes are affected by two chemical compounds, methyl groups and histones. The methyl g...
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... leads to “switching off” this arrangement. In other words, this causes a neurological disruption upon the epigenomes. With that being said, Rett syndrome is indeed an example of a disease caused by a genetic variation that disrupts epigenetic processes. These methyl groups that have been altered are also seen in the genes of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Bostrom and Sodhi believes that this suggests that entire physiological pathways may be impaired by altered epigenetic processes.
Works Cited
Bostrom, J. A., & Sodhi, M. (2013). A look to the future: Epigenetics in psychiatric disorders and treatment. (pp. 225-246). Waltham, MA: Academic Press: Elsevier. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123919182000160
National Human Genome Research Institute, (2012). Epigenomics . Retrieved from website: http://www.genome.gov/27532724
The book Genome by Matt Ridley tells the story of the relationship between genome and life by examining the twenty three chromosomes of the human DNA. Each chromosome literally and metaphorically becomes a chapter in the literal and metaphorical book of DNA. In this book of DNA, Ridley examines a particular aspect of the chromosomes chapter by chapter to see how it affects life and humanity’s understanding of life, humans and genetics itself. Although each chapter dives into different aspects of DNA and gathers stories as varied as the genes’ applications, Ridley connects them with important ideas about life and humanity’s understanding of life.
Volkows, N. D., & Muenke, M. (2012). Human Genetics. The genetics of addiction, Vol 131(6), 773-777. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00439-012-1173-3
DNA methylation primarily occurs within sites in the DNA sequence known as CpG dinucleotides, which is a 2 base pair sequence involving a Cytosine bonded to a Guanine by a phosphodiester bond.
Risk factors act as precursors for detrimental behavioral, social, and emotional activity. Inherited genetic disorders have long historically had strong correlations with this type of maladaptive behav...
Through my extensive research on depression I have learned a lot of new things. I have learned about the many forms of depression and treatment for depression. I have also learned a little about what is believed to go on chemically in the brain of a clinically depressed person. I was also able to partially determine what sort of role genetics, chemicals and personal influences in the brain. Though I was unable to determine exactly how environmental and personal stress can cause a chemical imbalance in a person, I was even able to speculate about this issue and determine some theories of my own on why and how this may happen.
Epigenetics is the word that is used for genes that are modified in order to assist certain genome sequences that lead to diseases and disorders. Epigenetics has come a long way since the first genome sequence had its draft breakthrough in the year 2000 (NOVA 2012). From depression to cancer, epigenetics has made its way through to provide families with the appropriate knowledge and perhaps medication in order to avoid these diseases and disorders in the future.
Nurnberger JI Jr, Wiegand R, Bucholz K, O'Connor S, Meyer ET, Reich T, Rice J, Schuckit M, King L, Petti T, .Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2004 Dec; 61(12):1246-56.
Another easily identifiable factor in increasing the onset of DM are the epigenetic risk factors. The genetic susceptibility, caused by the missing genomic information, can be accounted by additional variants like histone posttranslational modifications, which remove or rearrange the histones bound with the DNA. DNA methylation alters the methylation levels of INS gene promoters and has been discovered in patients with TD1 that altered methylation of histones upstream of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1. Noncoding RNAs give rise to altered expression of miRNAs in regulatory T cells of T1D.
The. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings, 2002. Print. The. The "Epigenetics" of the "Epigenetic PBS. PBS, 09 Jan. 2000.
Epigenetics is the study of both heritable and non-heritable changes in gene translation, which do not stem from mutation. Epigenetic alterations to DNA may occur in several different ways; histone modification, DNA methylations, expression of microRNAs, and changes of the chromatin structure (Ntanasis-Stathopoulos et al). Depending on their presentation, they may be passed on to offspring. The exact mechanism of heritable epigenetic modification has not been discovered, but all of these alterations may have some impact on a wide range of disorders and have far reaching implications in the medical field. The study of epigenetics seeks to answer the age old question of whether nature or nurture is responsible for our phenotype, and it has arrived at the answer that in fact, both are. The discovery of epigenetic changes may lead us to cure many disorders, and even personality problems.
Developing organisms have a wide range of susceptibility to epigenetic changes. Inapt setting up of
Genetic Science Learning Center (2011, January 24) Mental Illness: The Challenge of Dual Diagnosis. Learn. Genetics. Retrieved February 18, 2011, from http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/issues/mentalillness.html
Paabo, S. (2001). The human genome and our view of ourselves. Science Magazine 291, 1219-1220.
The scientific and medical progress of DNA as been emense, from involving the identification of our genes that trigger major diseases or the creation and manufacture of drugs to treat these diseases. DNA has many significant uses to society, health and culture of today. One important area of DNA research is that used for genetic and medical research. Our abi...
In some cases the causes of mental illness primarily found inside the individual. Some of them have been associated with an abnormal balance of neurotransmitters in the brain. If they are out of balance the communication between nerve cell in the brain disrupted (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of psychiatrist, 2005). Hence, leading to symptoms of mental illness like depression, schizophrenia. On the other hand, genetics also plays a significant role to acquire mental disorder, which is passed...