Genome complexity: Shapiro on epigenetics (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, May 12, 2014, 15:25 (3636 days ago) @ David Turell

A new highly technical review article:-"Speculative Conclusions about an Epigenetic Interface between Experience and Genome Change
 
"Mobile DNA and other NGE [non-genetic engineering] functions are the key agents for adaptively significant changes in genome organization and DNA sequences. The data reviewed and tabulated above establish the importance of RNA-directed chromatin formatting in the regulation and operation of mobile elements, viruses and DNA repair functions. In addition, there is a remarkable correlation between the life history events that activate NGE functions to destabilize genomes and those that lead to alteration of chromatin states and DNA methylation patterns.
 
"The preceding observations lead to the plausible hypothesis that epigenetic regulation serves as a key interface between organismal life history and the agents that restructure genomic DNA. This hypothesis is supported by the limited number of cases where empirical observations have established direct molecular connections between NGE functions and components of the epigenetic control system: histones, nucleosomes, and chromatin reformatting complexes."-
 
"If, as I expect, further research bolsters the epigenome-NGE correlations and connections documented above, then we need to ask: what components(s) of the epigenetic control apparatus communicate information about experience to NGE operators? We do not know the answer to this fundamental question. However, the data reported in Table 4 indicate that ncRNAs are good candidates for key intermediates in the experience-genome signal transduction process. If this is so, then ncRNAs are logical molecular targets for modulating genome change toward potentially adaptive outcomes. Let us hope that research aimed at examining this proposal deepens our understanding of how life history impacts both epigenetic and genome change operations (Tables 2...4), whether or not my speculation ultimately proves to be correct."-http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fgene.2014.00087/full