As an organism grows and develops, carefully orchestrated chemical reactions activate and deactivate parts of the genome at strategic times and in specific locations. Epigenetics is the study of these chemical reactions and the factors that influence them.
Meet the epigenome and learn how it influences DNA.
Change the level of gene expression in a cell with the turn of a dial!
Epigenetic tags record the gene-regulating signals the cell receives.
Parents have a role in shaping the epigenomes of their offspring.
Certain genes are silenced during egg and sperm formation.
The epigenome dynamically responds to the environment. Stress, diet, behavior, toxins, and other factors regulate gene expression.
Why do identical twins become more different as they age? See how the environment affects the epigenome in a pair of twins over time.
What kind of mother are you? Care for a rat pup and shape its epigenome.
What you eat can change your gene expression.
Epigenetic mechanisms play an important role both in normal brain function and in mental illness.