[Epigenetics promotes a new round of the genetic development].
Scientific development is pregnant with a breakthrough, epigenetic studies are pushing the genetics forward. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression that occurs without a change in DNA sequence. Epigenetics not only has practical significance for medicine and agriculture, but also provides new views on understanding heredity and evolution. Human genome contains information in two forms: the genetic information provides the blueprint for the manufacture of all the proteins necessary to create a living thing while the epigenetic information provides instructions on how, where, and when the genetic information should be used. The interrelationship of genetics and epigenetics is like a yin-yan, they are different from each other, and cooperatively take part in regulation of a variety of living activities. In this paper concept of gene and problems of evolution has been also discussed according to epigenetic viewpoints.
Xue
Kai-Xian
KX
Jiangsu Institute for Cancer Research, Nanjing 210009, China. xuekx@yahoo.com
D000818:Animals; D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005823:Genetics / Q000266:history; D016678:Genome; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D034622:RNA Interference