Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Epigenetic Regulation01:37

Epigenetic Regulation

Epigenetic changes alter the physical structure of the DNA without changing the genetic sequence and often regulate whether genes are turned on or off. This regulation ensures that each cell produces only proteins necessary for its function. For example, proteins that promote bone growth are not produced in muscle cells. Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
X-chromosome...
Epigenetic Regulation01:46

Epigenetic Regulation

Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
Epigenetic Regulation01:46

Epigenetic Regulation

Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
Position-effect Variegation02:32

Position-effect Variegation

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.
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance02:30

Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance

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.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
Inheritance of Chromatin Structures03:17

Inheritance of Chromatin Structures

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Update on familial hypercholesterolemia: An expert clinical consensus from the National Lipid Association.

Journal of clinical lipidology·2026
Same author

Research Participant Bill of Rights: Clarifying the Role of Research Physicians.

Ethics & human research·2025
Same author

Provider Disclosure of Genetic Risks to a Patient's Relatives Over the Objection of the Patient: Still a Bad Idea.

The American journal of bioethics : AJOB·2025
Same author

Reconsidering Open-Ended Consent for Biospecimen and Health Record Research in the United States and Europe.

Ethics & human research·2025
Same author

Protecting Participants in Clinical Research.

JAMA·2024
Same author

International scope of biomedical research ethics review.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2024
Same journal

Prohibited AI Practices in Healthcare under the European Artificial Intelligence Act.

The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics·2026
Same journal

Probing the Prevalence of Pharmaceutical Corruption.

The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics·2026
Same journal

Regulatory Guidance for the Return of Raw Genomic Data to Research Participants: A Qualitative Interview Study.

The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics·2026
Same journal

Supported Decision-Making and the Inclusion of People who Lack Decisional Capacity in Greater than Minimal Risk Research.

The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics·2026
Same journal

Using Supported Decision-Making to Promote Value-Aligned Research Participation.

The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics·2026
Same journal

Intellectual Disability and Supported Decision-Making in Clinical Research: Anticipating Ethical Challenges.

The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

An Integrated Platform for Genome-wide Mapping of Chromatin States Using High-throughput ChIP-sequencing in Tumor Tissues
10:41

An Integrated Platform for Genome-wide Mapping of Chromatin States Using High-throughput ChIP-sequencing in Tumor Tissues

Published on: April 5, 2018

Epigenetic exceptionalism.

Mark A Rothstein1

  • 1Herbert F. Boehl Chair of Law and Medicine and the Director of the Institute for Bioethics, Health Policy and Law at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky. (mark.rothstein@louisville.edu).

The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics : a Journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics
|October 4, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study explores epigenetics, examining its unique characteristics and debating its ethical and legal distinction from genetics. Understanding these differences is crucial for future research and application.

More Related Videos

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) Protocol for Low-abundance Embryonic Samples
12:47

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) Protocol for Low-abundance Embryonic Samples

Published on: August 29, 2017

Immunohistochemical Detection of 5-Methylcytosine and 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in Developing and Postmitotic Mouse Retina
07:50

Immunohistochemical Detection of 5-Methylcytosine and 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in Developing and Postmitotic Mouse Retina

Published on: August 29, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 7, 2026

An Integrated Platform for Genome-wide Mapping of Chromatin States Using High-throughput ChIP-sequencing in Tumor Tissues
10:41

An Integrated Platform for Genome-wide Mapping of Chromatin States Using High-throughput ChIP-sequencing in Tumor Tissues

Published on: April 5, 2018

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) Protocol for Low-abundance Embryonic Samples
12:47

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) Protocol for Low-abundance Embryonic Samples

Published on: August 29, 2017

Immunohistochemical Detection of 5-Methylcytosine and 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in Developing and Postmitotic Mouse Retina
07:50

Immunohistochemical Detection of 5-Methylcytosine and 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in Developing and Postmitotic Mouse Retina

Published on: August 29, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Epigenetics and Genetics
  • Bioethics
  • Legal Studies

Background:

  • Genetics traditionally focuses on DNA sequences.
  • Epigenetics involves heritable changes in gene expression without altering the DNA sequence.
  • The interplay between genetics and epigenetics presents novel scientific and ethical considerations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To delineate the distinctive features of epigenetics.
  • To analyze the ethical implications of epigenetics.
  • To examine the legal classification of epigenetics in relation to genetics.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of epigenetic mechanisms.
  • Ethical framework analysis.
  • Legal precedent and statutory review.

Main Results:

  • Epigenetics involves modifications like DNA methylation and histone modification.
  • Ethical debates include determinism, identity, and potential for discrimination.
  • Legal systems are challenged by the dynamic and potentially reversible nature of epigenetic changes.

Conclusions:

  • Epigenetics possesses unique molecular mechanisms and implications.
  • Significant ethical and legal distinctions warrant separate consideration from classical genetics.
  • Further interdisciplinary dialogue is needed to address the complexities of epigenetics.