Determining the conditions for reading aloud our genetic textbook

This posting may be too simple minded but why not include it hoping that it does not insult the intelligence of the reader

The National Institute of Health has spent several years developing a plan of action for studying the most significant, emerging health-related biomedical research themes of the 21st century. Epigenetics was at the head of that short list of initiatives. What is epigenitics? Why is it important? Why is it relevant in understanding the basis of diseases and their treatment and every aspect of development?

Before answering what epigenetics is we need just a bit of background. We are all familiar with the broad picture of how genetic information we are born with defines who we are, who we become and the good, the bad and the ugly. We also know that sometimes the genetic text of our lives develops errors (mutations) and those typos can be wild cards that may be responsible for diseases that attack us from within. We also understand that genetic information is not read aloud in a vacuum but on a stage of our life experiences. For example, a genetic vulnerability for heart disease or anxiety may not be fully expressed without the right kinds of conditions in place, e.g., an unhealthy life style. Many of the details of genetic codes and texts have been studied with the hope of understanding and then treating the diseases associated with specific genes. This has produced many successful success stories, but the yield has been somewhat disappointing. Why?

Why? Because genetic information is only part of the story played out on our life stage. Perhaps even more important is the stage direction of our genetic text book. Epigenetics is the study of the biochemicals that control all of our detailed genetic information. The logic of having both genes and gene directors is obvious when we think about issues like development. Developing cells in the newborn determine which cells will become muscle, retina cells, hair follicles, and so, happily, we do not grow eyes at the back of our head. Some genetic information needs years of more development before it is expressed. Can you imagine a rambunctious and perhaps aggressive three year old with loads of testosterone pulsing around his body? Timing and life conditions are important. So, some genetic information is there but must await the molecular-biochemical instructions to be read aloud to be expressed. We might think of these molecules as gene on-off switches. There is genetic information where it benefits us to have a gene permanently turned off and others permanently in the on position. Sometimes genes that have (have what?) and should be permanently turned off unexpectedly go on and can spell trouble for us in the form of a disease. Understanding the mechanisms of epigenetics – of epigenetic changes in genes – may be more important than understanding the details of our genetic maps. What may be helpful about studying epigenetic changes is that they leave marks on our DNA. That means that researchers can track when genes have and have not been turned off appropriately or inappropriately. Drug development is an obvious potential application of basic epigenetic knowledge. If we know that a disease is caused by a gene that has been turned on by molecules controlling that gene expression then perhaps we have a tool for treating that disease. Conversely if a gene that ordinarily helps the body clear mutations or potentially dangerous molecules is suddenly in the off position, developing a treatment that can turn that gene back on can be really helpful. Obviously the devil is in the details of how to do that.

Timing is everything in science, as it is in life. While epigenetics has been around for about 15 years, it has only recently jumped to the head of the line of interesting themes in molecular biology. To make epigenetics research productive required the growth of the enormous knowledge of our genetic textbook and how genes are turned on and off and the conditions that are responsible for having that happen.

It is also not too huge a leap for those interested in cognitive development to appreciate what might be learned about the genetics of development and associated learning and the interactive roles of genetics and environment. For example, what might be the conditions in our environment that must be in place to have genetic information expressed so that normal cognitive development can take place?