Epigenetic Research

Epigenetics is the study of cellular and physiological trait variations that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence. It is essentially how the external or environmental factors and turn genes on and off.

Epigenetic changes can naturally occur but can also be influenced by several factors including age, the environment/lifestyle, and disease state. These changes also link to cancer which was the first human disease that involved epigenetics. This is also linked to mental retardation disorders, these disorders result in intellectual disabilities such as ATR-X, Fragile X, Rett, Beckwith-Weidman (BWS), Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes. And the epigenetic changes occurring in here have their gene expressions turning "on" and "off". A result of the gene turning off is by methylation, which is a epigenetic modification.

Description

Epigenetics is the study of cellular and physiological trait variations that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence and genetics is the study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics. Genetics is the inherited trains rather than epigenetics which is the physiological study of those traits.

How is epigenetics different from genetics?

Epigenetic Research

Epigenetic changes