QUESTION 9 Most complex organisms develop from specialized reproductive cells (e

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QUESTION 9 Most complex organisms develop from specialized reproductive cells (eggs and sperm in animals). Two reproductive cells meet, then they grow and divide to form every type of cell in the adult organism. In order for this process to occur, the epigenome must be erased through a process called "reprogramming." At certain times during development (the timing varies among species), specialized cellular machinery scours the genome and erases its epigenetic tags in order to return the cells to a genetic "blank slate." Yet, for a small minority of genes, epigenetic tags make it through this process and pass unchanged from parent to offspring A. List two types of epigenetic tags as discussed in the class. e specific B. Please explain the mechanism of how epigenetic tags affect the fate of cells. Your answer has to reflect the level of a junior level course and show good evidence of learning from our lectures, specifically what was covered in Chapter 9 or 10

Explanation / Answer

10.Correct answer D. All of above.

The term epigenetics was originally introduced to describe how interactions between genetics and environment can give rise to phenotypes during development. Epigenetics today more specifically defines cellular modifications that can be heritable, but appear unrelated to DNA sequence changes, and can be modified by environmental stimuli [2,3]. At present, epigenetic mechanisms typically comprise DNA methylation and histone modifications, but also include many other mechanisms such as ATP-based chromatin-remodeling complexes, Polycomb–Trithorax protein complexes, non-coding RNA mediated gene-silencing, and potentially prions, transcription-factor binding, and other mechanisms involved in generating and maintaining heritable chromatin structure and attachment to the nuclear matrix. Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential functional role in complex organisms as regulators of transcription. Central to epigenetic regulation is the modulation of chromatin structure, whereby the majority of epigenetic processes impact upon chromatin organization and maintenance. Next-generation sequencing technologies have been developed to assay epigenetic changes in high-throughput approaches, and high-resolution genome-wide epigenetic profiles promise a more complete understanding of the functional impact of epigenetics. Of these processes, DNA methylation is the mechanism that has been studied in the greatest depth, and we therefore focus predominantly on this mechanism.

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