Scientists have discovered how an embryo’s genomic integrity is safeguarded during the first 24 hours after fertilization. Insights into this mechanism have implications for improving in vitro fertilization.

Almost all of our genes may be influenced by the food we eat, suggests new research. The study, carried out in yeast -- which can be used to model some of the body's fundamental processes -- shows that while the activity of our genes influences our metabolism, the opposite is also true and the nutrients available to cells influence our genes.

A new article explains that RNA also has its own spelling and grammar, just like DNA. These 'epigenetics of RNA' are called epitranscriptome.

The past of our ancestors lives on through us: Groundbreaking research illustrates how parental experience is not only epigenetically imprinted onto offspring, but onto an unprecedented number of future generations. Rather than occurring over the elongated time scale of millions of years, genetic change can transpire in real biological time through nanoparticles known as exosomes

Both heredity and environmental factors influence our risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study shows now that the memory of a heart attack can be stored in our genes through epigenetic changes.

Scientists have identified four new risk genes that are altered in patients with multiple sclerosis. The results point to a possible involvement of cellular mechanisms in the development of the disease, through which environmental influences affect gene regulation.

An error in one of the most widely used methods in epigenetics, DIP-seq, can cause misleading results. This may have major significance in the research field, where 'big data' and advanced methods of DNA analysis are used to study vast amounts of data. Correcting for the errors in existing DIP-seq data may lead to new discoveries from previous studies of human epigenetics.

The past of our ancestors lives on through us: Groundbreaking research illustrates how parental experience is not only epigenetically imprinted onto offspring, but onto an unprecedented number of future generations. Rather than occurring over the elongated time scale of millions of years, genetic change can transpire in real biological time through nanoparticles known as exosomes

Children born to mothers who had diabetes during pregnancy may age faster biologically and be at an increased risk for obesity and high blood pressure, according to researchers.

Deciding to start a family is one of the most important decisions in life. Its not only important to choose the right timing, its also necessary to optimize your health before starting a family. By learning simple, but powerful healthy concepts, you can make small changes today that can have major impacts on the […]

Histone acetylation is generally associated with gene activation and chromatin decondensation. Recent mass spectrometry analysis has revealed that histone H4 lysine 20, a major methylation site, can also be acetylated. To understand the function of H4 lysine 20 acetylation (H4K20ac), we have developed a specific monoclonal antibody and performed ChIP-seq analysis using HeLa-S3 cells. H4K20ac was enriched around the transcription start sites (TSSs) of minimally expressed genes and in the gene body of expressed genes, in contrast to most histone acetylation being enriched around the TSSs of expressed genes. The distribution of H4K20ac showed little correlation with known histone modifications, including histone H3 methylations. A motif search in H4K20ac-enriched sequences, together with transcription factor binding profiles based on ENCODE ChIP-seq data, revealed that most transcription activators are excluded from H4K20ac-enriched genes and a transcription repressor NRSF/REST co-localized with H4K20ac. These results suggest that H4K20ac is a unique acetylation mark associated with gene repression.

Epigenetic changes in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas can be detected in patients several years before the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. These changes are responsible for the altered methylation activity of specific genes which differs from that in healthy individuals. In humans, 105 such changes have been discovered in blood cells.

Inherited methylation—a form of epigenetic regulation passed down from parents to offspring—is far more dynamic than previously thought and may contribute to changes in the brain and other tissues over time. This finding challenges current understandings of gene regulation via methylation, from development through adulthood.

Researchers have identified special regions of the genome where a blood sample can be used to infer epigenetic regulation throughout the body, allowing scientists to test for epigenetic causes of disease.

Using new analytic tools, researchers have decoded the epigenetic landscape for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a common autoimmune disease that affects more than 1.3 million Americans.

Metformin is the most commonly used drug to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D), though not all patients respond to it, and still, others do not tolerate it. García-Calzón et al . analyzed genome-wide DNA methylation in the blood of drug-naïve patients who were recently diagnosed with T2D. They found that DNA methylation at specific loci associated with future metformin response or tolerance, respectively, across multiple cohorts. These epigenetic markers may have theranostic potential regarding which patients should receive metformin. Metformin is the first-line pharmacotherapy for managing type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, many patients with T2D do not respond to or tolerate metformin well. Currently, there are no phenotypes that successfully predict glycemic response to, or tolerance of, metformin. We explored whether blood-based epigenetic markers could discriminate metformin response and tolerance by analyzing genome-wide DNA methylation in drug-naïve patients with T2D at the time of their diagnosis. DNA methylation of 11 and 4 sites differed between glycemic responders/nonresponders and metformin-tolerant/intolerant patients, respectively, in discovery and replication cohorts. Greater methylation at these sites associated with a higher risk of not responding to or not tolerating metformin with odds ratios between 1.43 and 3.09 per 1-SD methylation increase. Methylation risk scores (MRSs) of the 11 identified sites differed between glycemic responders and nonresponders with areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.80 to 0.98. MRSs of the 4 sites associated with future metformin intolerance generated AUCs of 0.85 to 0.93. Some of these blood-based methylation markers mirrored the epigenetic pattern in adipose tissue, a key tissue in diabetes pathogenesis, and genes to which these markers were annotated to had biological functions in hepatocytes that altered metformin-related phenotypes. Overall, we could discriminate between glycemic responders/nonresponders and participants tolerant/intolerant to metformin at diagnosis by measuring blood-based epigenetic markers in drug-naïve patients with T2D. This epigenetics-based tool may be further developed to help patients with T2D receive optimal therapy.

As the study shows, a high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation leads to epigenetic changes in the offspring. These changes affect metabolic pathways regulated by the gut hormone GIP, whereby the adult offspring are more susceptible to obesity and insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes. Similar mechanisms cannot be ruled out in humans, according to Pfeiffer.

In Biology of Belief, Dr. Bruce Lipton, PhD, outlines a new understanding of life based on his pioneering research with stem cells at Stanford University. In his book, Dr. Lipton proclaims that genes do not control biology, and that cellular perceptions of the environment are the primary factor in biological processes. Proteins are the staff of life, the physical gears that orchestrate the movements of biology. There are estimated to be about 100,000 different kinds of proteins in the human body. Today, medical students and practitioners are still operating under the assumption that genes, the blueprints that proteins are made from, are the primary factor in biological processes. When James Watson and Francis Crick first visualized the molecular structure of DNA in 1953, the scientific community believed they had found the ultimate secret to life. The widely accepted understanding is that genetic information stored within the DNA is enough to explain all of molecular biology and heredity and is the reason why living organisms look and behave as they do, in sickness and in health. The old scientific paradigm espoused that inert genes were the brain of the cell, directing and controlling which proteins become expressed in every cell and that we are essentially all just victims of heredity. After doing experiments with enucleation, a process where the genes are removed from the cell, Dr. Lipton and other experimenters found that cells live normal lives for up to two months or even longer before their proteins wore out and they died, an observation that contradicts the primacy of genes in cell biology. The genetic information stored in DNA is the blueprint from which all of the body's proteins can be made. Modern science has mistaken the blueprint, the DNA, for the contractor who actually builds the house. So, if the genes are not the brains of the cell, what is? Introducing the Cell MemBrain. At just seven nanometers wide, this phospholipid bilayer is covered in hundreds of thousands of different receptor proteins. These receptor proteins are each specialized to interpret different signals from the environment and then relay that information back into the cell. When a chemical messenger like a hormone or a neurotransmitter binds to a receptor protein like a key going into a lock, the receptor protein activates corresponding effector proteins inside of the cell, initiating a cascade of chemical reactions within the cell. These are called IMPs, or integral membrane proteins. This receptor effector protein relationships in the cell membrane is how a cell perceives and reacts to its environment. A molecule in the environment binds to a receptor protein, an effector protein gets activated, and the chemical release inside the cell makes its way back to the cell's nucleus where the DNA is opened up so a new protein can be made in the process of transcription. All the functions of DNA depend on interactions with proteins. For example, within the chromosomes, proteins such as histones compact and organize DNA. These compact structures guide the interactions between DNA and other proteins helping control which parts of the DNA are transcribed. For a gene to be expressed, a sigma factor protein needs to bind to RNA polymerase for it to split the DNA and be able to access the blueprint. Different sigma factors are utilized under different environmental conditions. The specialized sigma factors bind the promotors of genes appropriate to the environmental conditions, increasing the transcription of those genes. The genes chosen to be activated and synthesized into new proteins are the direct result of signals from the environment interacting with receptor proteins in the cell membrane. This is the molecular basis for the environment being the primary factor in biological processes. Understanding this complex interaction between environmental conditions and gene expression leads to a marvelous new understanding of biological development where evolution is no longer a mindless game of chance based on random hereditary variants but an interactive dance between organism and environment. ⭐Learn more about Quantum University ⭐ 🎓Degree Programs Offered - https://quantumuniversity.com/degree-programs/ 💻Student Experience - https://quantumuniversity.com/student-experience/ 💙Career Paths - https://quantumuniversity.com/career-paths/ ❓ Request Information - https://quantumuniversity.com/request-information/ 👍 Like Us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/QuantumUniversity

A new type of biomarker has been found that can predict the risk of type 2 diabetes, by detecting epigenetic changes in specific genes through a simple blood test, report investigators.

Parents pass genes along to their offspring which equip them for their future life. In recent years, research has shown that the reality is much more complex and that parents endow much more than just genes. A new study reveals that active epigenetic modifications are also passed from one generation to the next.

Our healthspan is to a great extent epigenetically determined by diets, lifestyle, and various other environmental factors. Gut microbiota has been proven to be the major player in maintaining human health. Our previous report described health benefits of long-term ingestion of aloe vera gel through the modification of the intestinal microbiota. In the present review, we broadly cover the topics of microbiota and aloe vera gel ingestion related to attenuation of reactive oxygen species, prevention of cardiovascular disorders, effects of life-prolonging calorie restriction. Additional data are summarized on prophylactic actions of fermented butyrate, and aloe-emodin related components against obesity. Prophylactic actions of aloe vera gel on healthy aging, skin photo-aging, and the viability and lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster are discussed in relation to the properties of butyrate and its potential effects involved in health and disease.

Every cell in our body contains the complete DNA library. So-called methyl groups regulate that in body tissues only the genetic information is expressed that is indeed needed in this tissue. Now, for the first time, researchers verified that a lack of methyl groups in the gene body leads to an incorrect gene activation and, as a consequence, may lead to the emergence of cancer.

Subscribe to NutritionFacts.org’s free newsletter to receive our B12 infographic that covers the latest research takeaways and Dr. Greger’s updated recommendations: https://nutritionfacts.org/subscribe/ DESCRIPTION: What pregnant women eat may even affect the health of their grandchildren. Epigenetics is the science of altering the expression of your genes. No matter your family history, some genes can be effectively turned on and off by the lifestyle choices you make. See, for example: • The Alzheimer’s Gene: Controlling ApoE (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-alzheimers-gene-controlling-apoe/) • BRCA Breast Cancer Genes and Soy (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/brca-breast-cancer-genes-and-soy/) • Cancer Reversal Through Diet? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/cancer-reversal-through-diet/) For more on “obesogenic” chemicals, see: • How to Avoid the Obesity-Related Plastic Chemical BPA (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-the-obesity-related-plastic-chemical-bpa) • Why is Meat a Risk Factor for Diabetes? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/why-is-meat-a-risk-factor-for-diabetes/) • Obesity-Causing Pollutants in Food (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/obesity-causing-pollutants-in-food/) I previously touched on PAHs in Meat Fumes: Dietary Secondhand Smoke (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-fumes-dietary-secondhand-smoke/). Have a question about this video? Leave it in the comment section at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animal-protein-pregnancy-and-childhood-obesity and someone on the NutritionFacts.org team will try to answer it. Want to get a list of links to all the scientific sources used in this video? Click on Sources Cited at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/animal-protein-pregnancy-and-childhood-obesity. You’ll also find a transcript of the video, my blog and speaking tour schedule, and an easy way to search (by translated language even) through our videos spanning more than 2,000 health topics. If you’d rather watch these videos on YouTube, subscribe to my YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=nutritionfactsorg Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution! -Michael Greger, MD FACLM Image Credit: e_monk via fickr and Peter Trimming via geograph.org.uk https://NutritionFacts.org • Subscribe: https://nutritionfacts.org/subscribe • Donate: https://nutritionfacts.org/donate • Podcast : https://nutritionfacts.org/audio • Facebook: www.facebook.com/NutritionFacts.org • Twitter: www.twitter.com/nutrition_facts • Instagram: www.instagram.com/nutrition_facts_org • Books (including the NEW How Not to Diet Cookbook): https://nutritionfacts.org/books • Shop: https://drgreger.org

The lack of oxygen in tumor cells changes the cells' gene expression, thereby contributing to the growth of cancer, suggest researchers. The findings are far-reaching, as the study also proved that maintaining a proper oxygen supply in tumors inhibits these so-called 'epigenetic aberrations.'

Four new papers mark the feasibility of epigenetic analysis for clinical diagnostics and precision medicine. Epigenetic analysis addresses key limitations of genetic testing, helping to ensure that patients are accurately diagnosed and treated with the right drug at the right time.

A targeted epigenetic approach for the treatment of aggressive forms of leukemia has been revealed by researchers. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) refers to a group of disorders that are also known as blood cancer. AML is an aggressive disease of malignant immature blood cells which, if left untreated, almost always causes the death of the affected patient.

According to epigenetics -- the study of inheritable changes in gene expression not directly coded in our DNA -- our life experiences may be passed on to our children and our children's children. Studies on survivors of traumatic events have suggested that exposure to stress may indeed have lasting effects on subsequent generations. But how exactly are these genetic "memories" passed on?

Cancer cells have a different DNA methylation pattern from that of healthy cells. These patterns can be used to explain tumor-specific deviations in gene expression and to identify biomarkers for the detection of tumors, as well as associated prognosis and treatment planning. This is all possible thanks to epigenetics. Epigenetics looks at special regulation mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, which determine the gene expression pattern of different types of cell and are passed on to daughter cells, without there being any specific changes to the DNA base sequence. Using this technology, it is now also possible to identify the original tumor cells, by comparing them with healthy cells.