Methyl Groups and Epigenetics

Methyl groups are small chemical clusters that attach to genes and can turn them off.

Offspring with methylated DNA:
- Were thin.
- Had brown fur.
- Had a lower chance of developing cancer and diabetes.
This suggests that methylating DNA can turn off genes associated with cancer and increased size.
Before methylation:
- Mice had yellow fur.
- Were larger due to higher appetite.
- Had a higher chance of developing diabetes and cancer.
After methylation:
- Fur color changed to brown.
- Size decreased.
- Chance of developing cancer decreased.

Methyl groups cause DNA to wrap around itself tightly, preventing it from being read.

Researchers concluded that the offspring were born with an epigenetic alteration to their DNA.
Epigenetic alterations are inheritable changes in gene expression patterns that are independent of the primary DNA sequence.
The DNA sequence remains unchanged, but gene expression is altered.

Diet, hormones, physical activity, stress, tobacco, and alcohol use can cause epigenetic changes.
Epigenetics involves changes in how genes are expressed without altering the underlying DNA sequence.
Lifestyle factors can methylate DNA, affecting its readability.

Identical twins can have different physical traits due to epigenetics.
Epigenetics can explain the differences observed in identical twins using a mouse experiment with the yellow fur color gene as a model.
One twin's diet may be high in food with methyl groups, turning off certain genes that are present in the other twin.
Alternatively, one twin may experience more stress or use drugs/cigarettes, leading to epigenetic changes not present in the other twin.