Epigenome

The epigenome is the complete set of chemical modifications and associated features that regulate gene activity across a cell’s genome without changing its DNA sequence.

DNA methylation: The addition of methyl groups to DNA, often affecting whether nearby genes are active. It is a major epigenetic mark that can repress gene activity.
Genome: The complete DNA sequence of an organism, cell, or virus. The epigenome is defined by regulatory features distributed across this DNA.
Cell differentiation: The process by which a cell acquires specialized structures and functions. Distinct epigenomic states help cells maintain different identities despite sharing a genome.
Genetic mutation: A change in the nucleotide sequence of DNA. Epigenetic regulation changes gene activity without requiring this kind of sequence alteration.
Histone modification: Chemical changes to histone proteins that alter chromatin structure and gene regulation. These marks help define the epigenome by changing how DNA is packaged.
Gene expression: The process by which information in a gene is used to produce functional RNA or protein. Epigenomic regulation influences which genes are expressed and at what levels.
Genomic imprinting: Parent-of-origin-dependent gene expression caused by epigenetic marks on inherited alleles. It is a clear case where epigenetic marks produce different expression from maternal and paternal copies.
DNA sequence: The ordered series of nucleotide bases in a DNA molecule. The epigenome regulates activity while leaving this underlying sequence unchanged.
Chromatin remodeling: The repositioning or restructuring of nucleosomes that changes access to DNA. Remodeling makes genomic regions more or less accessible to regulatory proteins.
Histone: A protein around which DNA is wrapped to form nucleosomes. Histones carry many of the chemical marks that contribute to epigenomic regulation.

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