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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Assays for the Species-specific Detection of Eimeria that Infect Chickens

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Published on: February 20, 2015

The hunt for the epiallele.

Sarah Finer¹, Michelle L Holland, Lisa Nanty

¹The Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AT, United Kingdom.

Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis

|September 15, 2010

Summary

Epialleles, or epigenetic variations, offer insights into phenotypic variation beyond genetics. These molecular events bridge genotype and phenotype, influencing development, health, and evolution.

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Assays for the Species-specific Detection of Eimeria that Infect Chickens

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Published on: February 20, 2015

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Area of Science:

Genetics and Epigenetics
Developmental Biology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Phenotypic variation is a central challenge in biology.
Genome-wide association studies show common genetic variants have minimal effect sizes on complex traits.
The epigenome may represent a missing link between genotype and phenotype.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the generation and function of mammalian epialleles.
To discuss the interaction of epialleles with genetic and environmental factors.
To explore the role of epialleles in population variation and evolution.

Main Methods:

Review of current scientific literature on epigenetics and epialleles.
Discussion of emerging technologies for epiallele detection.
Analysis of the relationship between epialleles and phenotype.

Main Results:

Epialleles are molecular mechanisms that can influence phenotypic variation.
Epialleles interact with genetic and environmental factors.
New technologies are enabling better detection and understanding of epialleles.

Conclusions:

Epialleles are crucial for understanding the genotype-phenotype relationship.
Epialleles play a role in development, health, disease, and evolution.
Further research into epialleles is needed to fully understand their contribution to biological diversity.