Epigenetic inheritance

Epigenetic inheritance is the transmission of gene-regulatory states through cell divisions or across generations without changes to DNA sequence.

DNA methylation: The addition of methyl groups to DNA, often altering gene activity without changing its nucleotide sequence. Maintenance enzymes copy many methylation patterns onto newly synthesized DNA strands after replication.
Gene expression: The processes by which information in genes produces functional RNA or proteins. Epigenetic states persist by regulating whether and how strongly genes are expressed.
Paramutation: An interaction in which one allele heritably changes the expression state of another allele without changing its DNA sequence. It demonstrates transgenerational epigenetic change between alleles in plants and other organisms.
Genetic inheritance: The transmission of DNA sequence variants from parents to offspring or between cells. Epigenetic inheritance transmits regulatory states without requiring a DNA sequence difference.
Histone modification: Chemical alteration of histone proteins that changes chromatin structure and gene regulation. Modified histones can recruit enzymes that restore similar chromatin states after cell division.
Gene regulation: The control of when, where, and how much a gene is expressed. Epigenetic inheritance is the persistence of some gene-regulatory states over time.
RNA interference: Gene silencing guided by small RNA molecules that recognize complementary RNA sequences. In some organisms, RNA interference can sustain silencing across cell divisions or generations.
Mutation: A heritable change in the nucleotide sequence of genetic material. A mutation changes the inherited sequence itself, unlike epigenetic state transmission.
Chromatin remodeling: The repositioning or restructuring of nucleosomes that changes DNA accessibility. Inherited chromatin configurations can preserve access or repression at particular genes.
DNA replication: The cellular process that copies DNA before cell division. Replication dilutes DNA-bound marks, creating the copying problem that maintenance systems must solve.

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