Epigenetics: The Keeper of the Code

In recent years, attention has increasingly turned away from DNA's code and toward the way that DNA is packaged and the proteins that interact with it. These so-called epigenetic factors are heritable, reversible, and hugely influential. Over the past few decades, epigenetics has become a hot scientific topic. With potential roles in cancer, neuropsychiatric disorders, and immune disorders, it is no surprise that epigenetics is garnering such intense attention. The way in which genes are expressed is incredibly complex; it requires the infinitely detailed coordination of multiple molecular players. Epigenetics creates an additional layer of complexity that researchers are only now beginning to understand. Every cell in our body (except a small few) contains exactly the same DNA. However, not every part of the DNA is active at the same time. A liver cell, for instance, will have different portions of DNA "switched on" to a skin cell or muscle cell. Epigenetic mechanisms are responsible for ensuring the correct DNA information is expressed in each specific cell type. Similarly, throughout our lives, certain genes can be silenced or expressed. These fluctuating expression rates can be influenced by a myriad of life events and behaviors - for instance, where we live, environmental pollution, aging, and exercise. The definition of epigenetics Over the years, the words "epigenesis" and "epigenetics" have been used to refer to various - and occasionally overlapping - aspec...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news