Mapping The Epigenome
New tools chart chemical modifications of DNA and its packaging proteins
Laura Cassiday
If the human genome is the “Book of Life,” the epigenome is an anthology of closely related yet distinct tomes. The sequence of A, T, G, and C nucleotides in the genome remains constant throughout a person’s lifetime, but chemical modifications of DNA and its packaging proteins, known as histones, vary with tissue type, development, environmental conditions, aging, and cancer. These epigenetic modifications, which include DNA cytosine methylation and addition of various chemical groups to histones, cause dramatic changes in gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence. Each of us has one genome but many epigenomes, and that makes the Human Genome Project seem like a walk in the park compared with the marathon task of genomewide epigenetic mapping.
UNWRAPPED Common epigenetic modifications include methylation of genomic DNA and acetylation of the histone proteins that package genomic DNA into chromatin.
Growing recognition of the importance of epigenetic processes in human development and disease has fueled an insatiable thirst for new technologies to detect epigenetic modifications on a genomewide, or “epigenomic,” scale. The complex, dynamic nature of epigenetic modifications places many demands on analytical tools, but these challenges haven’t stopped researchers from developing powerful techniques for epigenomic analysis. With existing methods and others on the horizon, scientists hope to reach beyond the genome to understand how small chemical groups can orchestrate big changes in gene expression.
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COMENTÁRIO IMPERTINENTE DESTE BLOGGER:
Fui, entendendo muito melhor por que o Craig Venter disse sobre o Projeto Genoma: "We know bulshit of Biology!!!" [Nós não sabemos titica de Biologia].
Se Craig Venter disse isso no século 21 sobre a biologia (uma ciência de complexidade irredutível e informação complexa especificada) coitadinho do Darwin e a sua teoria geral da evolução do século 19. Sniff, sniff, sniff...
