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Microbiome Reshaping and Epigenetic Regulation
Published in Nwadiuto (Diuto) Esiobu, James Chukwuma Ogbonna, Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji, Olawole O. Obembe, Ifeoma Maureen Ezeonu, Abdulrazak B. Ibrahim, Benjamin Ewa Ubi, Microbiomes and Emerging Applications, 2022
Olugbenga Samuel Michael, Olufemi Idowu Oluranti, Ayomide Michael Oshinjo, Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji, Kehinde Samuel Olaniyi, Juliana Bunmi Adetunji
Epigenetics drive inheritable modifications in genetic manifestation. It involved the mechanistic process by which previous events result in alteration of the synaptic plasticity, memory attainment, and merging neural circuits connection and information flow. Therefore, alteration of chromatin can permit modifications in the genes expression connected to plasticity of synapse during growth and in adult (Fagiolini et al., 2009), and hence permit genetic susceptibility, and neural function synergize to change neurobehavioral and cell rejoinders. Additionally, epigenetic deregulation has been linked to cognitive decline and neural cell death connected with neurodegenerative diseases (Hwang et al., 2013; Day et al., 2015; Landgrave-Gomez et al., 2015). Specifically, numerous diseases with diverse root causes and/or pathogenesis, cognitive decline, and neural cell death involve epigenetic alteration of genes.
Genes and Genomics
Published in Firdos Alam Khan, Biotechnology Fundamentals, 2020
It all started during the mid-twentieth century with scientists Conrad H. Waddington and Ernst Hadorn, who did extensive research focused on merging genetics and developmental biology, and has evolved into a new field, which we currently call epigenetics. The word epigenetics was coined by Waddington in 1942 and originally described the influence of genetic processes on development. During the 1990s, there was a renewed interest in genetic assimilation that led to the elucidation of the molecular basis of Waddington’s observations in which environmental stress caused genetic assimilation in fruit flies. Subsequently, research efforts focused on unraveling the epigenetic mechanisms related to these types of changes. Presently, DNA methylation is one of the most largely studied epigenetic modifications. The renewed interest in epigenetics has led to new findings about the relationship between epigenetic variations and many diseases such as cancers, immune disorders, mental retardation-associated disorders, and pediatric and psychiatric disorders.
What Is Precision Medicine? A Primer on Contemporary Issues and Concerns
Published in Shaker A. Mousa, Raj Bawa, Gerald F. Audette, The Road from Nanomedicine to Precision Medicine, 2020
Kadija Ferryman, Mikaela Pitcan
These respondents’ comments show that their definition of precision medicine is closely linked to their understanding of personalized medicine. To them, “precision” means using multiple forms of data in order to build a better and fuller picture of the factors that influence health. “Precision” is also associated with a view of health that includes biological and social factors, and further, that the lines between biological and social factors are becoming blurred. Multiple respondents mentioned the field of epigenetics, or the study of how factors influence gene function but do not change the sequence, to illustrate how thinking in genetics has shifted. Research in epigenetics shows that factors such as nutrition or environmental stressors can impact gene expression, physiological processes, and health risks and outcomes. According to our respondents, precision medicine, as a data project, attempts to gather a picture of health not in the moment, but as a set of inputs about medical, social, and environmental experiences.
Epigenotoxicity: a danger to the future life
Published in Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 2023
Farzaneh Kefayati, Atoosa Karimi Babaahmadi, Taraneh Mousavi, Mahshid Hodjat, Mohammad Abdollahi
Epigenetic mechanisms are divided into DNA modifications, chromatin modifications, non-coding RNAs and RNA modifications, which produce a set of potential hereditary changes in gene expression;[2] thus, epigenetic markers can persevere throughout growth and likely pass from offspring to offspring. For example, the open state of chromatin is caused by chemical changes in histone proteins that facilitate gene expression by interacting with transcription factors and enzymes with DNA, or the closed state of heterochromatin, which prevents the initiation of transcription and suppresses gene expression. Although epigenetic markers are stable and regulate gene expression, environmental factors can act as stimuli; thus, altered epigenetic patterns may change phenotypic responses via different pathways and disruption of epigenetic modifiers.[3] These factors include air pollution, metals, pesticides, and electrical waste (E-waste), which have become more prevalent following urbanization and the expansion of industries. The role of environmental stimuli on epigenetic changes can be clearly understood in the case of identical twins. Although they have the same DNA sequence, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modification have led to phenotypic differences resulting from different exposure to environmental factors.[1]
Posthumanism: Creation of ‘New Men’ Through Technological Innovation
Published in The New Bioethics, 2021
The expression and activity of genes depends not only the genetic code in the genome, but also on the microstructure (not the code) of the DNA itself and the proteins associated with its packaging in the chromosome; the chemical state of this microstructure and associated proteins constitutes the epigenome. Epigenetics is ‘the study of the mechanisms of temporal and spatial control of gene activity during the development of complex organisms’ (Holliday 1990, 329). Changes in the epigenome can be passed on the offspring via transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (Bernstein et al. 2007). Epigenetic changes wrought by one’s diet, behaviour, or surroundings can work their way into the germ line and echo far into the future (Morgan and Whitelaw 2008). Thus, changes in the phenotype include mechanisms that do not involve alterations of the DNA sequence; consequently, traits depend both on the genome and the epigenome, and modifications of the former alone may not result in the desired traits.
The end of the ‘Bad seed’ Era? Epigenetics’ contribution to violence prevention initiatives in public health
Published in The New Bioethics, 2021
This paper’s focus is not on adding to or improving the many excellent technical explanations of epigenetic mechanisms, but it is still helpful to offer a brief overview. Broadly defined, epigenetics refers to changes in phenotypical attributes that result from chemical mechanisms which affect genetic expression but do not alter the genomic sequence. More simply, an individual’s environment and experiences cause chemical changes that determine if or to what extent their genes are expressed or not. The two most common mechanisms through which epigenetic modification occurs are DNA methylation—in which small molecular methyl groups attach to genes and prevent protein production—and histone modification—which alters the extent to which DNA is wrapped around its associated proteins.