One continuous thread in this volume is the name of Conrad H. Waddington (1905–1975), the developmental biologist known as the inventor of the term epigenetics. After some biographical notes on his life, this article explores the meaning of the Waddingtonian equation and the context wherein it was developed. This equation holds that epigenesis + genetics = epigenetics, and refers in retrospect ...

Interest in the field of epigenetics has increased rapidly over the last decade, with the term becoming more identifiable in biomedical research, scientific fields outside of the molecular sciences, such as ecology and physiology, and even mainstream culture. It has become increasingly clear, however, that different investigators ascribe different definitions to the term. Some employ epigenetic...

Epigenetic changes occur throughout life from embryonic development into adulthood. This results in the timely expression of developmentally important genes, determining the morphology and identity of different cell types and tissues within the body. Epigenetics regulate gene expression and cellular morphology through multiple mechanisms without alteration in the underlying DNA sequences. Diffe...

1. Genetics Versus Epigenetics, 25 2. Model Systems for the Study of Epigenetics, 26 3. Defining Epigenetics, 28 4. The Chromatin Template, 29 5. Higher-Order Chromatin Organization, 31 6. The Distinction between Euchromatin and Heterochromatin, 34 7. Histone Modifications and the Histone Code, 36 8. Chromatin-remodeling Complexes and Histone Variants, 39 9. DNA Methylation, 41 10. RNAi and RNA...

The 2002 Keystone symposia held in Taos, New Mexico (21-26 February) saw the convergence of two related fields; Epigenetics in Development and Disease, and RNA Interference, Cosuppression and Related Phenomena. The meeting highlights presented here concentrate upon the sessions within the Epigenetics in Development and Disease meeting, although there were joint sessions which will also be discu...

Epigenetics is one of the most scientifically important, and legally and ethically significant, cutting-edge subjects of scientific discovery. Epigenetics link environmental and genetic influences on the traits and characteristics of an individual, and new discoveries reveal that a large range of environmental, dietary, behavioral, and medical experiences can significantly affect the future dev...

Epigenetics is an intrinsic mechanism that alters gene function - not by altering DNA sequences, but by chemically modifying the DNA and chromosomal histone proteins. Epigenetics is involved in genomic imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation in humans, and the failure of this mechanism causes a subset of congenital syndromes and cancers. Until recently, it has been believed that epigenetic mod...

This article highlights the defining principles, progress, and future directions in epigenetics research in relation to this Special Issue. Exciting studies in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry have provided new insights into the epigenetic factors (e.g., DNA methylation) that are responsive to environmental input and serve as biological pathways in behavioral development. ...

A simple PubMed search confirms the intuitive thinking that human epigenetics and human microbiome research have received considerable attention in the recent years (13,082 and 28,446 hits, respectively). It is therefore astonishing that the two fields are very rarely studied together (118 results for ‘human epigenetics microbiome’ search, but only 3 actual research articles among literature re...

Genetic information such as DNA sequences has been limited to fully explain mechanisms of gene regulation and disease process. Epigenetic mechanisms, which include DNA methylation, histone modification and non-coding RNAs, can regulate gene expression and affect progression of disease. Although studies focused on epigenetics are being actively investigated in the field of medicine and biology, ...