Linda on a bridge near Sitka, Alaska
Mid 1980s
I found this to be useful and interesting.
You all know what the word “epigenetic” means,
right? Simplistically, it refers to
things that happen to your genome that effect your health, happiness and/or
heredity that do not involve alternation of the c, g, t, a sequences of your
DNA.
One important agent of epigenetics
is the attachment of a methyl group (CH3) to the DNA molecule in
such a way as to “silence” a gene (prevent it from being transcribed into a
protein.) You all also know that an
error (mutation) in the BRCA genes can lead to breast and/or ovarian
cancer. Well, it transpires that you can
have BRCA-related trouble even though your BRCA genes are alive and well. This can sometimes be
attributed to the “methylating” of the “promoter”
region of the BRCA genes, preventing them from being properly activated. Promoter regions are segments of DNA that are
required to set the gene itself in action.
WHY some promoters get silenced while others don’t
remains a profound mystery to me.
Anyway, glance at this short and simple essay.
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