Xue Kai-Xian
Jiangsu Institute for Cancer Research, Nanjing 210009, China.
Yi Chuan. 2005 Jan;27(1):155-9.
Scientific development is pregnant with a breakthrough, epigenetic studies are pushing the genetics forward. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression that occurs without a change in DNA sequence. Epigenetics not only has practical significance for medicine and agriculture, but also provides new views on understanding heredity and evolution. Human genome contains information in two forms: the genetic information provides the blueprint for the manufacture of all the proteins necessary to create a living thing while the epigenetic information provides instructions on how, where, and when the genetic information should be used. The interrelationship of genetics and epigenetics is like a yin-yan, they are different from each other, and cooperatively take part in regulation of a variety of living activities. In this paper concept of gene and problems of evolution has been also discussed according to epigenetic viewpoints.
科学发展正孕育着突破,表观遗传学研究正在推动遗传学向前发展。表观遗传学是对基因表达中可遗传变化的研究,这种变化发生在DNA序列不变的情况下。表观遗传学不仅在医学和农业方面具有实际意义,而且为理解遗传和进化提供了新的视角。人类基因组以两种形式包含信息:遗传信息为制造创造生物所需的所有蛋白质提供蓝图,而表观遗传信息则提供关于遗传信息应如何、在何处以及何时被使用的指令。遗传学和表观遗传学的相互关系就像阴阳一样,它们彼此不同,但共同参与各种生命活动的调节。本文还根据表观遗传学观点讨论了基因概念和进化问题。