Epigenomics

Epigenomics studies epigenetic modifications across the genome and how they influence gene activity without changing the underlying DNA sequence.

DNA methylation: The addition of methyl groups to DNA, often affecting gene regulation. Genome-wide methylation maps reveal where this modification accompanies changes in gene activity.
Epigenetics: The study of changes in gene activity that do not result from changes to DNA sequence. Epigenomics applies this broader subject's questions across the genome.
Cell differentiation: The process by which a cell acquires specialized structure and function. Distinct epigenomic states help establish and maintain specialized cell identities.
Genomics: The study of genomes, including their structure, function, evolution, and variation. Genomics commonly examines DNA sequence, while epigenomics maps regulatory features layered over it.
ENCODE: A research consortium that maps functional elements in the human and model-organism genomes. ENCODE generated extensive datasets used to annotate regulatory and chromatin features.
Histone modification: Chemical changes to histone proteins that influence chromatin structure and gene regulation. Mapping histone marks helps identify regulatory regions and their activity.
Genome: The complete set of genetic material in an organism or cell. The genome is the full landscape across which epigenomic features are measured.
Cancer epigenetics: The study of epigenetic alterations that contribute to cancer development and progression. Tumor epigenomes can reveal regulatory disruptions that DNA sequence analysis alone misses.
Transcriptomics: The genome-wide study of RNA molecules produced in a cell or tissue. Transcriptomics measures gene output; epigenomics examines regulatory states that may shape it.
Roadmap Epigenomics Project: A research project that mapped epigenomic landscapes across many human cell types and tissues. Its reference maps made tissue-specific epigenomic patterns directly comparable.

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