Epigenetics and Anticipation


Book Description

This book helps transform the awareness of the anticipatory perspective into actionable methods for practitioners of medicine. It provides guidance for those who design new means and methods inspired by epigenetics, in particular to those who advance sustainable alternatives.




Handbook of Epigenetics


Book Description

Handbook of Epigenetics: The New Molecular and Medical Genetics, Second Edition, provides a comprehensive analysis of epigenetics, from basic biology, to clinical application. Epigenetics is considered by many to be the new genetics in that many biological phenomena are controlled, not through gene mutations, but rather through reversible and heritable epigenetic processes. These epigenetic processes range from DNA methylation to prions. The biological processes impacted by epigenetics are vast and encompass effects in lower organisms and humans that include tissue and organ regeneration, X-chromosome inactivation, stem cell differentiation, genomic imprinting, and aging. The first edition of this important work received excellent reviews; the second edition continues its comprehensive coverage adding more current research and new topics based on customer and reader reviews, including new discoveries, approved therapeutics, and clinical trials. From molecular mechanisms and epigenetic technology, to discoveries in human disease and clinical epigenetics, the nature and applications of the science is presented for those with interests ranging from the fundamental basis of epigenetics, to therapeutic interventions for epigenetic-based disorders. Timely and comprehensive collection of fully up-to-date reviews on epigenetics that are organized into one volume and written by leading figures in the field Covers the latest advances in many different areas of epigenetics, ranging from basic aspects, to technologies, to clinical medicine Written at a verbal and technical level that can be understood by scientists and college students Updated to include new epigenetic discoveries, newly approved therapeutics, and clinical trials




Epigenetic Epidemiology


Book Description

The exploding field of epigenetics is challenging the dogma of traditional Mendelian inheritance. Epigenetics plays an important role in shaping who we are and contributes to our prospects of health and disease. While early epigenetic research focused on plant and animal models and in vitro experiments, population-based epidemiologic studies increasingly incorporate epigenetic components. The relevance of epigenetic marks, such as DNA methylation, genomic imprinting, and histone modification for disease causation has yet to be fully explored. This book covers the basic concepts of epigenetic epidemiology, discusses challenges in study design, analysis, and interpretation, epigenetic laboratory techniques, the influence of of age and environmental factors on shaping the epigenome, the role of epigenetics in the developmental origins hypothesis, and provides the state of the art on the epigenetic epidemiology of various health conditions including childhood syndromes, cancer, infectious diseases, inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, psychiatric disorders, diabetes, obesity and metabolic disorders, and atherosclerosis. With contributions from: Peter Jones, Jean-Pierre Issa, Gavin Kelsey, Robert Waterland, and many other experts in epigenetics!




Dance to the Tune of Life


Book Description

This book formulates a relativistic theory of biology, challenging the common gene-centred view of organisms.




Epigenetic Modifications and Viral Infections


Book Description

Epigenetics is defined as the study of modifications of the genome, heritable during cell division that does not involve changes in DNA sequences. Up to date, epigenetic modifications involve at least three general mechanisms regulating gene expression: histone modifications, DNA methylation, and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). For the past two decades, an explosion in our interest and understanding of epigenetic mechanisms has been seen. This mainly based on the influence that epigenetic alterations have on an amazing number of biological processes, such as gene expression, imprinting, programmed DNA rearrangements, germ line silencing, developmentally cued stem cell division, and overall chromosomal stability and identity. It has become also evident that the constant exposure of living organisms to environment factors affects their genomes through epigenetic mechanisms. Viruses infecting animal cells are thought to play central roles in shaping the epigenetic scenario of infected cells. In this context it has become obvious that knowing the impact that viral infections have on the epigenetic control of their host cells will certainly lead to a better understanding of the interplay viruses have with animal cells. In fact, DNA viruses use host transcription factors as well as epigenetic regulators in such a way that they affect epigenetic control of gene expression that extends to host gene expression. At the same time, animal cells employ mechanisms controlling transcription factors and epigenetic processes, in order to eliminate viral infections. In summary, epigenetic mechanisms are involved in most virus-cell interactions. We now know that some viruses exhibit epigenetic immune evasion mechanisms to survive and propagate in their host; however, there is still much ambiguity over these epigenetic mechanisms of viral immune evasion, and most of the discovered mechanisms are still incomplete. Other animal viruses associated to cancer often deregulate cellular epigenetic mechanisms, silencing cellular tumor-suppressor genes and/or activating either viral or host cell oncogenes. In addition, in several cancers the down-regulation of tumor suppressor protein-coding genes and ncRNAs with growth inhibitory functions, such as miRNAs, have been closely linked to the presence of cell CpG island promoter hypermethylation. The goal of the aforementioned Research Topic is to bring together the key experimental and theoretical research, linking state-of-the-art knowledge about the epigenetic mechanisms involved in animal virus-cell interactions.




Epigenetics and Complex Traits


Book Description

This book will provide an overview of basic epigenetic phenomena; interaction between epigenetic and genetic factors; and the influence of epigenetic factors on inheritance. Epigenetic states may contribute to the penetrance of genetic polymorphisms or mutations and thereby modify inheritance patterns. This may result in non‐Mendelian inheritance of genetic traits such as observed in common human disease. The relationship between epigenetics and genetics, however, has not been comprehensively summarized yet. The topic is being more and more appreciated lately due to considerable advances in genomic and epigenomic approaches to study the origins of human disease. The editors will focus not only on describing epigenetic characteristics, mechanisms and results, but also on how considerations of epigenetics can alter interpretation and analysis of risks for complex traits. This book will be a resource for those who have been working in human genetics or analysis of human genetic data and are studying the impact of epigenetics on inheritance. An overview will be given of the impacts of inter‐individual variation in epigenetic states from major changes (errors in genomic imprinting) that cause congenital developmental defects to subtle changes and their impact on complex traits. The editors will discuss the relationship between epigenetic changes and genetic changes in human disease. Several chapters will also focus on statistical analysis of epigenetics effects, either in human disease genetic studies, or in population genetics. ​




Epigenetics and Public Policy


Book Description

The exciting field of epigenetics offers novel and unanticipated science-based insights into human origins and development. This book presents one of the first detailed examinations of the political implications of epigenetics. Epigenetics—the study of internal and environmental factors that affect how genes are turned on or off and how cells read those genes—is a rapidly emerging science akin to genetics that introduces a number of novel and unexpected biological explanations of human origins and development. It also poses fundamental challenges to many of the assumptions of the prevailing science of genetics. When science changes, how does public policy respond? This book comprehensively considers the political implications of the emerging science of epigenetics in specific policy domains, addressing the intersections of epigenetics with cancer, obesity, the environment, and the law. Author Shea K. Robison carefully navigates the messy history of genetics and epigenetics in order to explore what changes in public policy might come in the age of a new scientific frontier. Readers will understand how new findings in epigenetic research and increased acceptance of epigenetic science may lead to paradigm shifts in cancer prevention and treatment, significantly different policy solutions for combating obesity, and revised statutes of limitations and laws regarding civil and corporate liability and wrongful life.




Nutrition, Epigenetics And Health


Book Description

Epigenetics is emerging as an important factor in risk of diseases of global importance including obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Unlike gene polymorphisms which have been the focus of understanding the role of inherited disease susceptibility for some time, epigenetic can be modified by environmental factors, in particular nutrition. Thus research into the role of epigenetics in disease has substantial potential for explaining the impact of the environmental factors such as diet on disease risk. Since epigenetic processes can be modified by nutrition, it may be possible to modify inappropriate epigenetic marks by nutritional interventions to reduce disease risk. This book will explore current understanding of the interaction between nutrition, epigenetics and disease risk, will place this knowledge in the context of global health and discuss the ethical implications of this research.




Epigenetics for Beginners


Book Description

Your genes play an important role in your health, but so do your behaviors and environment, such as what you eat and how physically active you are. Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence. Gene expression refers to how often or when proteins are created from the instructions within your genes. While genetic changes can alter which protein is made, epigenetic changes affect gene expression to turn genes "on" and "off." Since your environment and behaviors, such as diet and exercise, can result in epigenetic changes, it is easy to see the connection between your genes and your behaviors and environment. Researchers studying the microscopic roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans recently discovered a set of mutations that extended the worms' normal 2-3 week lifespan by up to 30%. This was exciting, not least because discoveries in animals such as roundworms can sometimes help us understand processes like ageing in humans. This was not the end of the story though, as the researchers found that the descendants of the long-lived roundworms could also live longer than normal, even if they only inherited the non-mutated version of the genes from their parents. This doesn't seem to make sense at first; surely characteristics such as hair colour, height and even how long we or a microscopic worm could potentially live are carried in the DNA sequence of the genes that we inherit from our parents. So how can we solve the conundrum of how the roundworms inherited the long lived characteristic, without inheriting the DNA sequence that initially caused it? The answer is epigenetics. GET YOUR COPY TODAY BY SCROLLING UP AND CLICKING BUY NOW TO GET YOUR COPY TODAY




Epigenetics


Book Description

"Epigenetics refers to DNA and chromatin modifications that persist from one cell division to the next despite a lack of change in the underlying DNA sequence. It is an emergent field since its implication in physiological and disease processes is now widely accepted. The effects of epigenetics play an important role in development but can also arise stochastically with aging. Since their discovery in 1983, cancer-associated epigenetic changes have become accepted as playing a pivotal role in carcinogenesis, in conjunction with classical genomic mutations. Thus it is now well established that an epigenetic mechanism underlies the pathogenesis of cancer and there is evidence implicating epigenetic factors in the pathogenesis of idiopathic mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and even autism. This new book gathers the latest research from around the globe in this field of study and related topics."--Publisher's description.