BRAINCAKEEpigenetic Control of Development
Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene function that happen without a change in the base sequence of DNA. Chemical tags on DNA and on the histone proteins it is wrapped around decide whether genes can be read. The full set of these tags in a cell is called its epigenome.
Epigenetic control is central to development. As cells of the embryo differentiate, epigenetic marks switch off genes that the cell will never need and keep on the genes it does need. This locks each cell into its identity, which is why a liver cell does not suddenly start behaving like a neurone. These marks are copied when a cell divides by mitosis, so daughter cells keep the same cell type. Epigenetic marking is also one reason cells lose potency as they specialise.
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More in Gene Expression
- Adult Stem Cells
- Determination of Cell Type
- Evidence for Cell Determination
- Development of an Organism
- Epigenetic Control of Gene Expression
- Stem Cell Therapy
- Therapeutic Cloning
- Gene Editing
All 39 lessons in Gene Expression · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics