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Epigenetics

Elizabeth M. Voights 

i

© Kornerstone School

Copyright pending

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Chapter 1

Genes

The basic study of genes and genetics and how it

relates to epigenetic studies.

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Figure 1 is a typical human being. Inside each and everyone of us are

many, many cells (see figure 2). Each cell does a different thing, and they are all

controlled by our Genes. Each cell has a different job for example many hair cells complete a strand of

hair and each cell is told what to do by the Genes inside of them. If the gene tells

the cell the wrong thing the cell won’t be able to do the right job.

More than 90% of our Genes are found in the Nucleus of the cell, and the

rest is found in the Mitochondria.

Genes are made up of DNA and give instructions to our proteins to make our

body move and act the way it should. DNA holds all the information needed to for

our body to function, and the genes read the DNA in order to figure out what to tell

the proteins to do.

Section 1

What is a Gene?

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Genes read DNA in order to figure out what to tell the protiens to do if even

on part of the DNA code is messed up when the cells keep dividing one may

become messed up and then the cell will be doing the wrong thing.

The DNA inside the cell that the genes read have a set code (sequence) that

the DNA reads in order to figure out what job the cell has to do. The coding is key

and there are four types of mutation that can happen if the code is not correct.

1. Frameshift

• Makes a sequence (job) not make sense

2. Deletion

• Deletes a job

3. Insertions

• Adds a extra job

4. Substitution

• Changes one job for another

Mutation can be big or small, slight changes may go unnoticed, but big

changes may cause problems. Cancer, and mental illness are examples of one

small mutation going wrong.

Section 2

Mutation

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Our genes come from our chromosomes, and after your genes tell your cell

what to do it keeps dividing until it creates a human being.

Your chromosomes come from your parents each parent gives you 23

chromosomes, and together they form what is call the homologous chromosome.

Your hair color, eye color, skin texture, sex all come from your parents and

your chromosomes, but then how are you different?

When you get half your chromosomes from your mom and half from your dad

your chromosomes shuffle around quite a bit and the most dominate chromosome

will take the lead, and be expressed.

Your sex is a great example of that process happening Y and X

chromosomes determine your sex. XX is female, and XY is male. Your sex is

determined by your chromosomes and you can see yourself which chromosomes

were most dominant and expressed when you were created.

In men the easiest way to see your biological inheritance and where you

come from is through your Y-chromosomes and in women the X-chromosomes.

Section 3

Inheriting our genes

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In each and everyone of your cells you have DNA. DNA is a code of

instructions that tell the gene how the cell should do it’s job.

DNA is a double helix structure and is made up of many components and is

wrapped in Chromosomes, but it still is very small and winds up to fit in the

nucleus of everyone of your cells.

Figure 4 shows DNA is made up of sugar, phosphate, adenine, thymine,

guanine, cytosine and hydrogen bonds hold it all together. All these component

make up your DNA code which is our genome.

Over 99% of our DNA is the same as other humans but our chromosomes

and genes solve the problem of us being too alike.

Section 4

DNA 

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Chapter 2

Epigenetics

Epigenetic studies and how they influence our daily

lives.

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DNA contains each job that your cells need to do, and DNA has many parts to it including histones which DNA is

wrapped around. What’s really interesting is that both DNA and histones are covered in chemical tags and that second

layer is called the epigenome. The epigenome shapes what the genome looks like. Either it tightly wraps inactive

genes making them unreadable or it relaxes active genes making them easily readable. Different sets of genes are

readable and active for different types of cells.

Our environment is key to epigenetics. Histones and our DNA are covered in chemical tags and these react to

environment. For example is our diet isn’t very good our epigenetics can be influenced and can be passed down from

generation to generation which is why some of our bad habits can be seen through many generations.

DNA is stuck and cannot but influenced but the epigenome can and it controls a lot more than what is thought. In

fact there are many theories out there about epigenetics but it’s still a young science and needs ot be further

developed but what we know so far will influence us in our daily lives and for years to come.

Section 1

What is Epigenetics?

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Epigenetic inheritance goes against the old theory that we

inherit everything through our DNA but most scientists agree that

epigenetics is real and are looking further into it.

 As you know DNA is covered in histones and chemical tags

are connected to both our histones and DNA but after a offspring

is made how do your tags influence them?

There are many theories as to how this happens in the

beginning we used to believe that the tags just went away and

when our offspring were born they didn’t have any of our tags ut

now we know that isn’t the case.

In the young stages of life when the being is created the

DNA is passed down from the parents to the child, but now with

it comes also some epigenetic tags.

Just like chromosome the most dominate tags are passed

down and this explains many puzzling genetic patterns that

scientists have been trying to find out.

Many tags can be passed down through epigenetics and

scientist are starting to find startling information that mental

illnesses and bad diet can be passed on just through epigenetic

tags.

On the bright side with all the tags that can be passed

down most are harmless and only have a slight impact on who

we are as a person.

Section 2

Epigenetic Inheritance

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The future of epigenetics lies in medicine. Since the genome does all the work and the epigenome

influences it there is a lot to be done yet in research, but we know that many diseases are linked to epigenetics

in some way.

Many genetic disorders, mental illnesses, and cancers and being researched to see if epigenetic related

medication could help resolve the issue, but because this is still a young science many theories are still be

developed and tested and we don’t know all of the information yet.

With more development and testing the medication could save lives and help those who so far have no

answer to their problem, and because we know that epigenetics are related to the environment around us many

new techniques and theories for care are being tested and will solve issues for future generations to come.

Many are looking forward to the study of epigenetics to advance and become more developed.

Section 3

Future of Epigenetics

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• http://www.eyeondna.com/2007/08/20/100-facts-about-dna/ 

• http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs184/sp10/archive/spring2010/john_andrea_as5/index_files/ 

DNA2.png

• http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/01/28/atheistic-science-is-rapidly-sinking-in-the-quicksand/ 

dna/ 

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp1bZEUgqVI

• http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/ 

• http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/inheritance/ 

• http://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/ 

• http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/inheritance/ 

• http://gehringlab.wi.mit.edu/inheritance.html

• http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic225800.files/epigenetic.pdf

• http://skinner.wsu.edu/toxnews/07PNASpapers /summary.html

• http://www.stanford.edu/class/cbio101/coursework/ferguson-smith2011.pdf

• http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/faculty/haig/publications_files/04epigeneticorigins.pdf

• http://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/ 

• http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/brain/ 

• http://epigenomics.columbia.edu/wordpress/ 

• http://www.utdallas.edu/~tres/aging_seminar2011/Mastroeni.2011.pdf

• http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/brain/ 

• http://www.bx.psu.edu/old/courses/bx-fall04/beaudet.pdf

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• http://sunburst.usd.edu/~cliff/Courses/Advanced%20Seminars%20in%20Neuroendocrinology/ 

Epigenetics%20of%20Depression/Roth09.pdf

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• http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/bin_facpub/35/ 

• http://www.blc.arizona.edu/molecular_graphics/dna_structure/dna_tutorial.html

• http://bioenergy.asu.edu/photosyn/courses/bio_343/lecture/DNA-RNA.html

• http://www.uphs.upenn.edu /news/publications/PENNMedicine/files/pm-spring2012-

epigenetics.pdf

• https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/sitnflash_wp/2012/02/issue112/ 

• http://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/Pages/2012-07-03-epigenetics-alters-rheumatoid-

arthritis-genes.aspx

Work Cited

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• http://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/ 

• http://champagnelab.psych.columbia.edu/docs/champ20.pdf

• https:// wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/BN0193S04 /Future+for+Epigenetics

• http://magazine.jhsph.edu/2010/spring/features/ 

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• http://www.lehman.edu/deanhum/philosophy/platofootnote/PlatoFootnote.org/Talks_files/ 

epigenetics.pdf

• https:// www.23andme.com/gen101/genes/ 

• http://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/heredity-and-genetics/v/genetics-101-part-1--

what-are-genes

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