Question
Question: How does epigenetics affect genes?...
How does epigenetics affect genes?
Solution
Your genes play an important role in your wellbeing, but your habits and the environment, such as what you eat and how physically active you are, also play an important role. Epigenetics is the study of how changes can be triggered by your actions and environment that influence the way your genes function.
Complete answer:
Expression of the genes refers to how much or when proteins are produced within the genes from the instructions. Although genetic changes can alter the protein created, epigenetic changes influence the expression of genes to switch genes on and off. Because epigenetic changes can result in your environment and behaviors, such as diet and exercise, it is easy to see the connection between your genes and your behavior and environment.
In various ways, epigenetic modifications influence gene expression. Groups of changes in epigenetics include:
1. Methylation with DNA
By attaching a chemical group to DNA, DNA methylation works. This group is usually applied to specific positions on the DNA, where it blocks the proteins that bind to the DNA to read the gene. Via a procedure called demethylation, this chemical group can be eliminated. Typically, methylation turns genes “off” and demethylation turns genes “on.”
2. Modification Histone
DNA wraps around histones-called proteins. Proteins that "read" the gene can not reach DNA wrapped tightly around histones. Some genes are wrapped around histones and switched off, while some genes are not wrapped around histones and turned on. It is possible to add or subtract chemical groups from histones and alter whether a gene is unwrapped or wrapped (on or off).
3. RNA Non-Coding
To render coding and non-coding RNA, your DNA is used as instructions. To produce proteins, coding RNA is used. By connecting to coding RNA, along with some proteins, non-coding RNA helps to regulate gene expression to break down the coding RNA so that it can not be used to produce proteins. Non-coding RNA can also recruit proteins to turn "on" or "off" genes to alter histones.
Note:
Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is a natural mechanism that acts during somatic cell differentiation, as well as in response to environmental indications and stresses, and epigenetic inheritance is the transfer of these modulations to the offspring.