REVIEW ARTICLE Front. Genet., 25 April 2014 | doi: 10.3389/fgene.2014.00087
Epigenetic control of mobile DNA as an interface between experience and genome change
James A. Shapiro*
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Abstract
Mobile DNA in the genome is subject to RNA-targeted epigenetic control. This control regulates the activity of transposons, retrotransposons and genomic proviruses. Many different life history experiences alter the activities of mobile DNA and the expression of genetic loci regulated by nearby insertions. The same experiences induce alterations in epigenetic formatting and lead to trans-generational modifications of genome expression and stability. These observations lead to the hypothesis that epigenetic formatting directed by non-coding RNA provides a molecular interface between life history events and genome alteration.
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