Human Growth and Development / Unit 2 HGD 0169 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Epigenetics and Methylation
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The idea
DNA methylation, the commonest epigenetic mechanism, adds methyl groups that silence a gene; removing them increases the gene's expression.
In practice
Pollutants, lack of folate, smoking, stress or exercise tagging DNA and altering which genes are active.
Where people slip
The misconception is that epigenetics changes the genes. The DNA sequence stays the same; only its expression changes.
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