Epigenetics Reaction Paper

Epigenetics is an upcoming field of science that seeks to explain human nature from a scientific point of view. Epigenetics can be defined as the study of how one’s environment and behaviors can lead to modifications in one’s genetic makeup (CDC, 2022). Epigenetics is related to genetics and is considered the upper level of one’s genetic makeup (PBS, 2009). It is essential to distinguish between genetics and epigenetics, where the former is not reversible, but the latter is. It cannot change one’s genetic sequence directly, but it is possible to change one’s epigenetic sequence, which can, in turn, affect genetic expressions. Epigenetics impacts how genes are expressed by determining which genes are turned on or off through DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA (CDC, 2022).

By adding a chemical group to one’s DNA, the chemical either prevents or facilitates the proteins that attach to DNA from reading or not reading the gene, affecting its expression (CDC, 2022). This process is referred to as methylation, while its reversal is demethylation. Histone modification and non-coding RNA work the same way but use histones and non-coding RNA to turn the gene on or off. Epigenetics is affected by one’s environment and behaviors, such as smoking, exercise, and what one eats. However, epigenetics change with development and age and are reversible through altering behaviors and environment. For instance, one could alter their epigenetic makeup by changing their diet or quitting smoking, increasing their DNA methylation in the AHRR gene (CDC, 2022). The impact of epigenetics is evident with identical twin studies that show even people with identical DNA sequences can have different health outcomes, such as cancer, because of their environment and behavior because it impacts their epigenetics, which in turn affects the expression of genes and their health even for pregnant women.

After interviewing my family members and completing Dr. OZ’s Family History Worksheet, I identified that while I am not at risk of multiple illnesses, there are others that I have moderate to high risk based on their frequency in the family history. The worksheet suggested that I was at high risk of getting allergies, Type 2 Diabetes, eye conditions, arthritis, hypertension, and high cholesterol levels while having a moderate risk of having kidney disease, depression, breast cancer, and asthma. For diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, arthritis, and allergies, close family members and relatives have been affected, which suggests that I have a high risk as well. Still, the moderate ones are those that appear at least once in the chart or are identified from a distant family member who is not related by blood. It seems that the most at-risk disease is Type 2 diabetes because it has affected direct family members at several levels.

Cavalli and Heard (2019) write a paper on epigenetics discussing the various advances in the field that have identified the link between genetics, the environment, and diseases. The authors note the importance of genetics in understanding human nature and the various diseases that challenge us. The authors explore the issues of inheritance and relate the interconnection with epigenetic hereditabilities such as cell fate and reprogramming events that occur while one develops because of physiological catalysts and diseases (Cavalli & Heard, 2019). The authors identify the importance of epigenetic elements inherited from parent to child which contribute to various physiological issues and even diseases if exposed to certain conditions (Cavalli & Heard, 2019). It is noteworthy that there is no precise replication of prenatal genetics such that the child gets the parents’ exact DNA sequence which owes to epigenetic factors. However, epigenetic information is still carried from parent to child (Cavalli & Heard, 2019). The leading carriers of epigenetic information are noncoding RNAs, heterochromatin components, polycomb proteins, and DNA methylation (Cavalli & Heard, 2019). The authors identify how epigenetics affect the variation in DNA sequences due to the impact of epigenetics on gene expression, while also identifying how genetics affect epigenetics such that each person’s genome experiences mutations that are induced by environmental and natural factors, and while most of the mutations are neutral, they may have epigenetic impacts that affect genetic expression (Cavalli & Heard, 2019). The article shows the impact of epigenetics on diseases such as cancer and how they are passed down to children during developmental periods.

Ling & Rönn (2019) discuss the role of epigenetics in human obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, which was an article of interest because of the high risk of Type 2 that I face based on Dr. Oz’s Family History Worksheet. The authors reiterate the impact of epigenetic mechanisms in controlling gene activity and the growth or development of an organism (Ling & Rönn, 2019). The authors note that epigenetics during pregnancy induced by the mother’s intake are influential in developing both obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in their offspring. Due to their diets, gene expression is altered during pregnancy and inherited by the child, especially since they are in the developmental stage where DNA methylation is high and consequential. In the case of Type 2 Diabetes, the RNA-mediated processes and histone modifications could play a role in the disruption of genetic balances that end up in multiple pathologies that contribute to the development of Type 2 Diabetes (Ling & Rönn, 2019). The same case applies to obesity.  Using epigenetic signatures collected from human tissues related to metabolisms such as the skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, pancreatic islets, blood, and liver, which are related to Type 2 Diabetes, the author reviewed the impact and role of epigenetics in Type 2 Diabetes and found that epigenetic factors may not have played a direct role to the development of the disease but were still interrelated as reactions to the presence of the disease rather than their catalysts (Ling & Rönn, 2019). The authors argue that genetic predisposition and other factors, such as age, play a role in genetic variability. In contrast, several environmental factors, such as physical exercise and diet, further interacted with the epigenome to promote the development of the disease or its cessation (Ling & Rönn, 2019). The authors highlight that the reversible nature of epigenetic changes could be the key to treating Type 2 Diabetes since the genetic predisposition that triggered the presence of the disease could be reversed through epigenetic modification by increasing exercise and changing one’s diet.

References

Cavalli, G., & Heard, E. (2019). Advances in epigenetics link genetics to the environment and disease. Nature, 571(7766), 489-499. https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02367550/file/s41586-019-1411-0.pdf 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2022). What is epigenetics? https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/epigenetics.htm

Ling, C., & Rönn, T. (2019). Epigenetics in human obesity and type 2 diabetes. Cell metabolism, 29(5), 1028-1044. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413119301378

PBS Learning. (2009). Epigenetics. NOVA. YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avWwfuJYnnI