Can Behavior and Environment affect how Genes Work?

Epigenetics

The word ‘epigenetic’ first emerged when the validity of the thought that genes are permanent and ‘set in stones’ was questioned. Genes are the essential and physical and functional units of heredity and for a protracted time considered to be unalterable in most cases. However, this belief poses a question- why do identical twins, who have the precise same set of DNA, often find themselves extremely different from one another, both in terms of personality and in other factors which are solely hooked into genes (such as health). This is often where the term ‘epigenetic’ rises from.

What is Epigenetics? The study of how the cells can control their gene activity is known as epigenetics. In simpler words, the term epigenetics refers to the thought of how the environment an individual is raised in affects organic phenomena (gene expression) within the individual. Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. The literal meaning of the word ‘epigenetic’ is “in addition to changes in genetic sequence.” Over the years, through various studies and research, the term has been further developed to incorporate any

altering of the gene, without a change to the DNA sequence.

What are the processes Involved in Epigenetics? There are three main epigenetic processes:

1. DNA methylation: The primary process- DNA methylation occurs when a covalent attachment of an alkyl and therefore the C5 position of a cytosine comprises the most epigenetic changes that occur to the DNA. This modification will be seen within the CpG dinucleotide-containing regions, which are regularly found in suppressed organic phenomena. This CpG methylation is incredibly important for tissue-restricted organic phenomena and other such processes. However, the CpG methylation not occur, and instead, the methylation of the cytosines occurring instead help for the regulation of organic phenomenon within the embryonic stem cells. These embryonic stem cells are cells capable of giving rise to many different cell types and are derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst at an early-stage pre-implantation embryo.

2. Histone modification: The second essential process of epigenetics is histone modification. They're an awfully important epigenetic regulator that controls the structure of chromatins, gene transcription and this causes a change within the cellular phenotypes of various cells. Over several years, several studies have shown that there are several prominent factors thanks to histone modification as a large impact on the aging process. It's also been suggested that the surplus amount and localization of those modifications cause reactions to several changes within the environment, diet, and life.

3. Noncoding RNA action: The non-coding RNA action is an important mechanism of epigenetics that regulates gene expressions and it plays a huge role in the growth and working of the brain. It is involved in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders and most research on the role of ncRNAs disorders is mostly focused on miRNAs. But no complete conclusion can be found regarding the role of these ncRNAs in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders.

To sum up, what epigenetics means we can say it is when changes occur due to age, both as part of normal development and aging and in response to your behaviors and environment.

Bibliography:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/epigenetics.htm

2. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/what-is-epigenetics-and-ho w-does-it-relate-to-child- development/

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1392256/

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4070783/

5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/non-coding-rna

6. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2019.00192/full Written by: Yukta and Sarah