Is epigenetic inheritance a counterexample to the central dogma?
This paper argues that nothing that has been discovered in the increasingly complex delails of gene regulation has provided any grounds to retract or qualify Crick's version of the central dogma. In particular it defends the role of the genes as the sole bearers of information, and argues that the mechanism of epigenetic modification of the DNA is but another vindication of Crick's version of the central dogma. The paper shows that arguments of C.K. Waters for the distinctive causual role of the genes are equivalent in important respects to the present ones and concludes with a defense of the informational role of the genes against an argument from trans-acting genetic regulation due to Stotz.
Rosenberg
Alex
A
Center for Philosophy of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
D015984:Causality; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008967:Molecular Biology; D009154:Mutation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic