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Inheritance of Chromatin Structures

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Epigenetics is the study of inherited changes in a cell's phenotype without changing the DNA sequences. It provides a form of memory for the differential gene expression pattern to maintain cell lineage, position-effect variegation, dosage compensation, and maintenance of chromatin structures such as telomeres and centromeres. For example, the structure and location of the centromere on chromosomes are epigenetically inherited. Its functionality is not dictated or ensured by the underlying DNA...

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Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
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Genetic Variation

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In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.

Inheritance

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Gregor Mendel's pioneering work on the principles of inheritance fundamentally transformed our understanding of how traits are transmitted from generation to generation. His experiments with pea plants laid the groundwork for the discovery of genes, discrete units within organisms that control heredity.
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Epigenetic variation and inheritance in mammals.

Vardhman K Rakyan¹, Stephan Beck

¹Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK.

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development

|September 29, 2006

Summary

Epigenetics offers a third pathway influencing traits beyond genes and environment. Epigenetic changes, or epialleles, can even be inherited across generations, challenging traditional views of heredity.

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Area of Science:

Epigenetics and Molecular Biology
Developmental Biology
Genetics

Background:

Phenotype determination is a core biological question.
Traditionally, genetic and environmental factors were primary focus.
Epigenetics introduces a third mechanism influencing phenotype.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the role of epigenetics in phenotype determination.
To investigate the phenomenon of epigenetic inheritance.
To assess the prevalence of epigenetically determined phenotypes.

Main Methods:

Review of recent studies in epigenetics.
Analysis of data from mouse models.
Examination of human monozygotic twin studies.
Large-scale epigenetic profiling.

Main Results:

Epigenetic variants (epialleles) influence phenotypic outcomes.
Epialleles can be inherited by offspring.
Epigenetic inheritance operates independently of DNA sequence variation.
Epigenetically determined phenotypes and inheritance are more common than previously thought.

Conclusions:

Epigenetics is a significant factor in biological heredity.
Inherited epigenetic information provides a non-genetic basis for trait transmission.
Further research is warranted to understand the full scope of epigenetic inheritance.