Epigenetics ........

2. EPIGENETICS

3. Contents
• Introduction
• How does epigenetic affect us
• Mechanism
• Factors influence the epigenetics
• Epigenetics changes during the life of human female
• Applications

4. you can inherit something
beyond the DNA sequence
Genes load the gun but
environment pulls the trigger

5. Introduction
• Epi = “above” OR “on the top of genetics”
• Change the function of DNA
without change DNA sequence

6. How does epigenetic affect us
Tissues have different
epigenetic states
Diet and environment impact
your epigenetic state
The lucky ones have a stress
response gene turned on
The unlucky ones have the
stress response gene turned off

7. Mechanism
• DNA methylation
• Histone modifications

8. DNA methylation

9. Histone modification

10. Factors influence the epigenetics

11. Factors continue….
Maternal diet
 Methylated diet agouti gene turns off healthy mouse
 Unmethylated diet agouti gene turns on obese mouse
Agouti gene present in all mammals
even in human.

12. Factors continue….
Chemicals
Bisphenol(BPA) reduced methylation
of agouti gene.
BPA + normal diet obese mouse
BPA + supplemented diet healthy mouse
(Folic acid, vitamin B12)

13. Environmental interaction, care, stress and happiness
Sgdg
Same in human

14. Epigenetics changes during the life of human female

15. Applications
• Identical Twins study
• Development
 Cell differentiation
• Disease study
 e.g Cancer

16. Conclusion
• Epigenetics is a most fundamental developmental science.
• It emerge the genetics, environment and gene environmental
interactions.
• It describes the dynamic changes in behavioral and environment.

17. Reference
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information. Trends in cell biology, 19(1): 29-41.
• Dolinoy, D. C., Huang, D., & Jirtle, R. L. (2007). Maternal nutrient supplementation counteracts bisphenol A-induced DNA
hypomethylation in early development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(32), 13056-13061.
• Dolinoy, D. C., Weidman, J. R., Waterland, R. A., & Jirtle, R. L. (2006). Maternal genistein alters coat color and protects A vy mouse
offspring from obesity by modifying the fetal epigenome. Environmental health perspectives, 567-572.
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