The epigenome and top-down causation.

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Systems Biology
• Epigenetics

Background:

• Gene expression is influenced by epigenetic factors beyond DNA sequence.
• Epigenetic changes are reversible and heritable, forming a global, systemic entity.
• Unlike the genome, the epigenome lacks a stored 'program' in the information-theoretic sense.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the self-organizing nature of epigenomic control.
• To investigate the interplay of genetic and epigenetic causation.
• To propose a framework for attributing causal efficacy to biological information.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of complex systems theory concepts (feedback loops, emergent phenomena).
• Examination of chromatin structure, organization, and dynamics.
• Proposal for implementing downward causation via chromatin dynamics.

Main Results:

• Epigenomic control is largely an emergent, self-organizing phenomenon.
• Epigenetics demonstrates the intermingling of bottom-up genetic and top-down epigenetic causation.
• A novel approach is proposed to couple information directly to chromatin dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Epigenomic regulation is a complex, emergent process, not a pre-defined program.
• Attributing causal efficacy to biological information can be achieved by integrating it with chromatin dynamics.
• This integration opens new avenues in dynamical systems theory for studying self-organization and complexity.