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Epigenetics
For long we thought the non-coding regions of the
genome (98%) to be ‘dark area’ or ‘Junk DNA’. This is no
more the case.
They play a huge role in gene expression which has
become an important area of study in the recent times
called epigenetics.
Epigenetics deals with the processes that control how
the genes are expressed.
We know that all the cells in our body have the same
genome.
Further there are 37 trillion cells that are about 200
different types and same code (genome) exists in the
nucleus of all these cells.
If the same code is there in all the cells, how is it that
there are 220-odd cell types making up for 4 different
tissue types and 78 different organ types all working in
unison to make human life possible.
The answer is in gene expression.
Different genes are expressed in different cells that
perform different function that look differently. (like
your heart cell and your kidney cell)
 All this relates to gene
FREEregulation. There
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ways in which gene is regulated for expression.

Introns, Exons and RNA Splicing

As we have seen mRNA is a copy of only the coding part

of DNA (gene).
And the coding part do not occur on chromosome in
one single sequence as one whole.
It is spread out on a chromosome in parts. Each part is
separated by a non-coding part of the genome.
In fact, 25% of all the non-coding part occur in between
genes.
The non-coding part between gene is called introns and
the coding part that mRNA is interested in are called
exons.
So, mRNA must copy only exons and cut out all the
introns.
This cutting of introns to join only exons is called RNA
splicing.
The final mRNA after splicing of introns is called exome
(which represents only 1.5% of the genome).
As you can appreciate it is this final mRNA after splicing
that is important for coding for protein.
Muscular Dystrophy
 One type of muscular dystrophy,
FREE a genetic
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result of defect in RNA splicing while copying X-
chromosome.
Since it is associated with X-chromosome it is more
prevalent in males as they have only one X-
chromosome.
Regulation during transcription
(DNA -> mRNA)
As we have seen transcription happens in the nucleus
and only 1.5% of the genome codes for proteins.
So, mRNA needs to copy only the coding part of the
genome.
Also, mRNA has to copy only a particular gene or set of
genes depending on which cell it is acting in.
In order to transcribe mRNA uses an enzyme called RNA
polymerase.
But how does it know what part of the genome to
transcribe and when to start and stop the copying
mechanism?
This is where regulatory factors of epigenetics come
into picture
Promoter region
These are non-coding part of the genome which has
proteins that attract RNA polymerase to the required
coding part of the genome.
Start and Stop signals
Besides there are regions in the genome that act like
traffic signals for starting and stopping transcription.
Post-transcriptional regulation
Regulation during translation (mRNA->Protein)
Translation, as we have
FREEseen, involves
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by tRNA in the ribosome (protein making factories).
tRNA reads 3 letters at a time which translates into one
amino acid, the building blocks of protein.
t-RNA simply brings amino acids that are lying in the
cell after reading 3 letters of mRNA(codon).
As in case of transcription there should be some way for
tRNA to know when to start and stop reading codons.
These are called Start Codon and Stop Codon
respectively.

RNA and Central Dogma DNA as Vehicle of Heredity

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