The epigenome is a heritable layer of information not encoded in the DNA sequence of the genome, but in chemical modifications of DNA or histones. These chemical modifications, together with transcription factors, operate as spatiotemporal regulators of genome activity. Dissecting epigenome function requires controlled site-specific alteration of epigenetic information. Such control can be obta...

the molecular mechanisms of the fact that more than 50% of the individuals with the same genetic make up (e.g. identical twins in schizophrenia) do not show the same psychiatric phenotype remained undefined in psychiatry. this along with the failure to find responsible genes with major effects in psychiatric disorders and lack of consistency of genetic association studies led to the current una...

Allele-specific expression refers to the preferential expression of one of the two alleles in a diploid genome, which has been thought largely attributable to the associated cis-element variation and allele-specific epigenetic modification patterns. Allele-specific expression may contribute to the heterosis (or hybrid vigor) effect in hybrid plants that are produced from crosses of closely-rela...