Perceptions of epigenetics

@article{Bird2007PerceptionsOE,
  title={Perceptions of epigenetics},
  author={Adrian Bird},
  journal={Nature},
  year={2007},
  volume={447},
  pages={396-398}
}
  • A. Bird
  • Published 23 May 2007
  • Biology, Psychology
  • Nature
Geneticists study the gene; however, for epigeneticists, there is no obvious 'epigene'. Nevertheless, during the past year, more than 2,500 articles, numerous scientific meetings and a new journal were devoted to the subject of epigenetics. It encompasses some of the most exciting contemporary biology and is portrayed by the popular press as a revolutionary new science — an antidote to the idea that we are hard-wired by our genes. So what is epigenetics? 
View on Nature
nature.com
2,500 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
57
Background Citations
958
Methods Citations
15
Results Citations
4

Figures from this paper

2,500 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance: Myths and Mechanisms
Epigenetics, an emerging discipline with broad implications.
  • R. Feil
  • Biology
    Comptes rendus biologies
  • 2008
Epigenetics: from the past to the present
TLDR
The epigenome, as the bridge between the genome and the phenotype, is one of the most interesting current ideas in genetics and is so revolutionary that it may change present notions about inheritance and evolution.
The implications of environmental epigenetics
TLDR
Findings in epigenetics suggest that the environment is a biochemically active inducer of phenotypical development and understandings of the delayed temporality and intergenerational effects of epigenetic mechanisms challenge methodologies that privilege space.
Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: more questions than answers.
TLDR
These findings suggest that an environmental event in one generation could affect the phenotype in subsequent generations, and these somewhat Lamarckian ideas are stimulating interest from a broad spectrum of biologists, from ecologists to health workers.
Epigenetics in comparative physiology
TLDR
Since the earliest definition of the term ‘epigenetics’ in 1942, the understanding of the concept has been refined extensively and the mechanism by which genes give rise to the phenotype during development has been clarified.
Systems biology and epigenetic gene regulation.
  • J. Choi
  • Biology
    IET systems biology
  • 2010
TLDR
This review concludes that the future expansion of epigenomics to cover multiple samples will offer an even more profound opportunity for systems biology research.
Advances in epigenetics link genetics to the environment and disease
TLDR
The authors review recent advances and current debates in epigenetics, including how epigenetic mechanisms interact with genetic variation, ageing, disease and the environment.
Epigenetics: The origins and evolution of a fashionable topic.
What Do You Mean, “Epigenetic”?
TLDR
The history behind the multitude of definitions that have been employed since the conception of epigenetics are discussed, the components of these definitions are analyzed, and solutions for clarifying the field and mitigating the problems that have arisen due to these definitional ambiguities are offered.
...
1
2
3
4
5
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 20 REFERENCES
Epigenetic germline inheritance.
Genomic DNA methylation: the mark and its mediators.
Hairpin-bisulfite PCR: Assessing epigenetic methylation patterns on complementary strands of individual DNA molecules
TLDR
These results clarify the mechanisms by which the alternative hypomethylated and hypermethylated states of CpG islands are stably maintained through many cell divisions and will be a powerful tool in studying other processes for which genetic or epigenetic information differs on the two complementary strands of DNA.
Evidence for an epigenetic mechanism by which Hsp90 acts as a capacitor for morphological evolution
TLDR
Hsp90 acts as a capacitor for morphological evolution through epigenetic and genetic mechanisms, whereby reduced activity of Hsp90 induces a heritably altered chromatin state.
Transcriptional control of cognitive development
Phenotypic differences in genetically identical organisms: the epigenetic perspective.
TLDR
Epigenetic mechanisms may explain paradoxical findings in twin and inbred animal studies when Phenotypic differences occur in the absence of observable environmental differences and also when environmental differences do not significantly increase the degree of phenotypic variation.
Epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation
Historical overview of epigenetic mechanisms DNA methylation paramutation, imprinting and X inactivation repeated genes and gene silencing nuclear organization and chromatin structure transposable…
An epigenetic mutation responsible for natural variation in floral symmetry
TLDR
It is shown that a naturally occurring mutant of Linaria vulgaris carries a defect in Lcyc, a homologue of the cycloidea gene which controls dorsoventral asymmetry in Antirrhinum, indicating that epigenetic mutations may play a more significant role in evolution than has hitherto been suspected.
DNA methylation profiling of human chromosomes 6, 20 and 22
TLDR
Analysis of six annotation categories showed that evolutionarily conserved regions are the predominant sites for differential DNA methylation and that a core region surrounding the transcriptional start site is an informative surrogate for promoter methylation.
Epigenetic differences arise during the lifetime of monozygotic twins.
TLDR
Older monozygous twins exhibited remarkable differences in their overall content and genomic distribution of 5-methylcytosine DNA and histone acetylation, affecting their gene-expression portrait, indicating how an appreciation of epigenetics is missing from the understanding of how different phenotypes can be originated from the same genotype.
...
1
2
...