The social environment and the epigenome
@article{Szyf2008TheSE, title={The social environment and the epigenome}, author={Moshe Szyf and Patrick O. McGowan and Michael J. Meaney}, journal={Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis}, year={2008}, volume={49} }
The genome is programmed by the epigenome. Two of the fundamental components of the epigenome are chromatin structure and covalent modification of the DNA molecule itself by methylation. DNA methylation patterns are sculpted during development and it has been a long held belief that they remain stable after birth in somatic tissues. Recent data suggest that DNA methylation is dynamic later in life in postmitotic cells such as neurons and thus potentially responsive to different environmental…
406 Citations
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