title: Epigenetics and primary care.
abstract: Epigenetics, the study of functionally relevant chemical modifications to DNA that do not involve a change in the DNA nucleotide sequence, is at the interface between research and clinical medicine. Research on epigenetic marks, which regulate gene expression independently of the underlying genetic code, has dramatically changed our understanding of the interplay between genes and the environment. This interplay alters human biology and developmental trajectories, and can lead to programmed human disease years after the environmental exposure. In addition, epigenetic marks are potentially heritable. In this article, we discuss the underlying concepts of epigenetics and address its current and potential applicability for primary care providers.
authors.affiliation: FAAP, Departments of Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Pl, Box 1057, New York, NY 10029. robert.wright@mssm.edu.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Saul
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D057890:Epigenomics; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006801:Humans; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*
keywords: DNA methylation epigenetics; histone modification; imprinting; noncoding RNA; pediatrics; primary care