THE FRANKLIN The Science Magazine of Notting Hill & Ealing High School ◆ Autumn 2021
Epigenetics
situations such as how much you exercise and what
By Preet Kaur, Year 10
An
you eat can all cause epigenetic changes.
What is epigenetics? organism's genes are expressed rather than any alteration of the genetic code itself. It involves research into the different biological mechanisms that turn genes on and off. DNA gives our cells instructions for various proteins to be produced inside the cell. Simply put, this is how genetics work. But epigenetics influence the way in which our cells read these genes and therefore whether or not the cells should produce these various proteins. So instead of changing your DNA epigenetics
change
of
epigenetic
changes
is
DNA
methyl group is added to DNA in certain places and
Epigenetics is the study of changes in the way an
sequence,
example
methylation. This is when a chemical group called a
the
way
these
sequences are read by your cells. Behaviours and
results in blocking proteins that connect to DNA to ‘read’ the gene. This normally turns a gene ‘off’. To remove the chemical group from the DNA, a process called demethylation would have to take place. This usually turns genes ‘on’. Epigenetics causes certain genes to be turned on and others to be turned off, this difference in expression is the reason we are all unique.