Human morbid genetics revisited: relevance of epigenetics.
Identification of genes predisposing their carrier to complex diseases is a much more complicated task than finding genes involved in simple mendelian diseases. The slow progress in the genetic research of complex diseases could be due to limitations in the basic research strategy, which is almost exclusively orientated to the detection of disease-related DNA mutations or polymorphisms. I argue in this article that epigenetic misregulation of genes is more consistent with the features of complex diseases than is DNA sequence variation, and therefore that epigenetic factors could be important in understanding the origins of complex diseases.
Neurogenetics Section Rm28, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Ontario, Toronto, Canada M5T 1R8. arturas_petronis@camh.net
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Petronis
D017668:Age of Onset; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005826:Genetics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic