•Epi (greek word) means ‘outside’ or

‘around’
•Epigenetics literally means "above" or
"on top of" genetics.
•refers to external modifications to DNA
that turn genes "on" or "off“
•These modifications do not change the
DNA sequence, but instead, they affect
how cells "read" genes.
 DNA methylation-
the addition of a
methyl group, or
a "chemical cap,"
to part of the DNA
molecule, which
prevents certain
genes from being
expressed.
 Histone modification- Histones are
proteins that DNA wraps around. If
histones squeeze DNA tightly, the DNA
cannot be "read" by the cell. Modifications
that relax the histones can make the DNA
accessible to proteins that "read" genes.
 Epigenetics is the reason why a skin cell
looks different from a brain cell or a
muscle cell. All three cells contain the
same DNA, but their genes are expressed
differently (turned "on" or "off"), which
creates the different cell types.
 Genes can also be turned
off by RNA when it is in
the form of antisense
transcripts, noncoding
RNAs, or RNA
interference. RNA might
affect gene expression by
causing heterochromatin
 Epigenetics- cause cancers.
 epigenetic change -silences a
tumor suppressor gene
 epigenetic change - "turns off"
genes that help repair damaged
DNA- leads to an increase in DNA
damage- increases cancer risk.
1.Diseases- cancer- epigenetic changes-
counteract with epigenetic treatments
2.These changes- reversible- unlike DNA
sequence mutations
3.Most popular treatments- alter DNA
methylation or histone acetylation
4.Inhibitors of DNA methylation – reactivate
silenced genes
5.Drugs aimed at histone modifications-
Histone deacetylase(HDAC) inhibitors
 Caution in using
epigenetic therapy-
necessary- epigenetic
changes and processes
are widespread.
 Epigenetic treatments-
selective to irregular cells;
otherwise, activating gene
transcription in normal
cells- make them
•first to be
identified
•Cleavage site-
Random Around
1000bp away from
recognition site
•3 subunits- HsdR,
•used in
biotechnology
•Cleavage site-
Specific within the
recognition site
•Doesn’t require ATP
•smaller and simpler
•are named according
to the bacterial
species from which
•cuts at
approximately 25
base-pairs from the
site
•multifunctional
proteins
•2 subunits- Res
and Mod
•Res - required for
•Types I and III require ATP
for their activity and may be
large enzymes with multiple
subunits.

•recognize modified,
typically methylated DNA
•exemplified by
the McrBC and Mrr systems
 also called
immunoblotting
 technique used
for analysis of
individual
proteins in a
protein mixture
•prevent the interactions between
the membrane and the antibody

•the membrane is "probed" for the

protein of interest with a modified
antibody which is linked to a reporter
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