Preview

Epigenetics Research Paper

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
298 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Epigenetics Research Paper
Definition:
Epigenetics are the changes in the gene expression which are not caused by changes in the DNA sequences, meaning it a change in the phenotype but not the genotype. It is the study of the genes that are possibly inheritable. The environment you live in plays a key role in epigenetics and how your genes are expressed.

How does epigenetics have anything to do with digestion?
A chemical tag is something that can alter a gene expression. It attaches onto the DNA and blocks transcription. They could also attach to histones and activate or deactivate the genes by tightening or loosening the nucleosome structure. Chemical tags can be altered because of diet. When you have a poor diet, your body gets negatively affected in many aspects.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Matt is a history teacher. His twin brother Greg is a drug addict. Growing up in the Boston area, both boys did well in high school: they were strong students in the classroom and decent athletes on the field, and they got along with their peers. Like many young people, the brothers drank the occasional beer, smoked cigarettes and experimented with marijuana. Then, in college, they tried cocaine. For Greg, the experience derailed his life. The questions that have risen from this are: what made Greg so susceptible to the grasps of cocaine- to the point that the drug essentially destroyed his life? And how did his identical twin, who shares the exact same genes, escape a similar fate? And how can exposure to a drug set up some individuals for a lifelong addiction, while others can move past their youthful indiscretions and go on to lead productive lives? These questions, although not new, have lead neuroscientist to begin taking a fresh approach to finding the answers. New findings suggest that experience can contribute to mental illness by adding or removing “epigenetic” marks on chromosomes. These tags are particular chemicals that can influence gene activity without changing the information encoded in the gene.…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ap Bio Diseases Research

    • 2176 Words
    • 9 Pages

    4. Epistasis: When a gene at one locus alters the phenotypic expression of a gene at a second locus…

    • 2176 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Study Guide 4

    • 3405 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Genetics: the science of heredity that includes the study of what genes are, how they carry info, how they are replicated and passed to subsequent generations of cells or passed between organisms, and how the expression of their info within an organism determines the particular characteristics of that organism.…

    • 3405 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Epigenetics is the complex yet utterly fascinating study of the modification of gene expression and the peculiar ways organisms can be altered due to these changes. Dan Hurley, writer for Discover Magazine, introduces Michael Meaney and Moshe Syzf, “two young scientists following in Freud’s and Darwin’s footsteps” who, in 1992, had “begun to forge a revolutionary new synthesis” of how various life experiences may actually impact genes and behavior in general. Scientists had already witnessed epigenetic changes resulting from “diet and chemicals,” but Meaney and Syzf turned the tables and raised a “hypothesis as improbable as it was profound”— could certain life experiences, such as child abuse and genocide, alter genes as well? This one seemingly simple question rattled the entire foundation of epigenetics and cultivated a brand new field known as behavioral epigenetics, so dynamic it has “spawned dozens of studies” and provided insight for future brain treatments.…

    • 1191 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The field of epigenetics is “the study of heritable changes in gene activity which are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence” (“Wikipedia”; n.d.). One can adopt a healthy lifestyle to change the impact of the genes inherited by an offspring. Ornish states that changing eating habits, loving more, and getting more exercise can cause a large increase in brain cells. (“ted.com/speakers”; n.d.) These changes could also impact the number of disease provoking genes that one will pass on to an offspring.…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Epigenetics is a termed coined from epigenome. It is the study of occurrence of changes in the human genome as a result of gene modification expression raising from factors such as lifestyle. The PBS video presents the efforts and advancements made in epigenetics. It is fascinating to realize two people who are identical due to their DNA like twins turn up to be totally different due to alteration of their genes. Great effort has been dedicated in the study of epigenetics in an effort of curbing inherent diseases such as cancer. The breakthrough presented in the video sheds light in the fight against incurable diseases such as cancer as the realization that genes can be altered and modified by what people eat is an interesting breakthrough phenomena.…

    • 1121 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Genetics is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. Although half of our chromosomes come from your mother and half come from your father, your genetic pattern is quite different from your parents.…

    • 3239 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genes are molecular units of heredity which encode for different types of traits. Each organism has traits that are defined phenotypically and can be studied though the field of genetics. Genetics is the study of genes, heredity, and how they cause variation in different living organisms. Scientists study genetic pattern in different organisms to determine the different trends in a certain population.…

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Epigenetics

    • 2073 Words
    • 9 Pages

    * 1) A majority of genetically engineered crops in production worldwide today have been engineered with a gene that:…

    • 2073 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    genetics notes

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The influence of nonrandom mating on the distribution of genotypes among a group of animals.…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    epigenetics

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages

    To understand implications that come with epigenetics, one must first understand epigenetics. So, what exactly is it? Simply put, epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression not caused by alterations to the DNA sequence (Berger, Kouzarides, Shiekhattar, & Shilartifard, 2009). Recent studies have shown that the relation between DNA sequence and cell structure is not 1:1, that is to say that what you see in a creature’s DNA does not fully represent what the creature will be like (Berger, Kouzarides, Shiekhattar, & Shilartifard, 2009). Scientists have discovered that there are factors outside DNA structure that influence which parts of a DNA strand will be read and which will not. These factors can be further influenced by experiences within a creature’s lifetime (Berger, Kouzarides, Shiekhattar, & Shilartifard, 2009). This means that what humans do during their lifetime actually has an impact on their genetic code, and consequently, on the genetic code of their offspring. A common method used to explain the epigenetic phenomena is the light switch analogy: we as human beings make decisions and are subject to different events in our lifetime, these events and decisions effect our genetic code by…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Developmental Science

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The environment you grow up in is going to impact whether your inherited genes are expressed or unexpressed. For example, if someone were to inherit the genes required to be a genius, they are not going to unlock that gene if they live in an environment without any intellectual stimuli.…

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Epigenetics

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As it turns out, there may be more to inheritance than just DNA sequence. Epigenetics also could play a role. Epigenetics can dictate which genes in an organism are turned on and off and because of this, an organism can have several changes in their gene expression without any changes to their actual DNA sequencing. This information can persist within an individual because the epigenetic markings get copied along with the DNA when cells reproduce. As evidence accumulates, it is speculated that epigenetics could have played a role in the dramatic increase of illness in recent time.…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Brain development is an elaborate process, including neuron proliferation, differentiation, migration, communication, and apoptosis. Hereditary deficits and negative environmental exposures can lead to irregular neurological development. The characteristics of neurodevelopmental disorders firmly coincide with the qualities of dysfunctional epigenetic adjustment at the chromatin level, exclusively or in collaboration.…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    If Caroline were to follow these nursing interventions and invest whole heartedly to developing a strong inner being, I believe she would begin to see amazing results within a weeks’ time. Of course it would be a journey. Self-reflection is not always easy and can be hard, but in the end it is extremely rewarding. Coming face to face with our inner demons and conquering them is one of the best things you can do for yourself, future partner, and future children. In order to have healthy relationship you must be a healthy person and if Caroline wants to be healthy, she will…

    • 1976 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays