Kiefer Julie C
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA.
Dev Dyn. 2007 Apr;236(4):1144-56. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.21094.
It has become increasingly evident in recent years that development is under epigenetic control. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene function that occur independently of alterations to primary DNA sequence. The best-studied epigenetic modifications are DNA methylation, and changes in chromatin structure by histone modifications, and histone exchange. An exciting, new chapter in the field is the finding that long-distance chromosomal interactions also modify gene expression. Epigenetic modifications are key regulators of important developmental events, including X-inactivation, genomic imprinting, patterning by Hox genes and neuronal development. This primer covers these aspects of epigenetics in brief, and features an interview with two epigenetic scientists.
近年来，越来越明显的是发育受表观遗传控制。表观遗传学是对基因功能中可遗传变化的研究，这些变化独立于初级DNA序列的改变而发生。研究得最充分的表观遗传修饰是DNA甲基化、通过组蛋白修饰和组蛋白交换引起的染色质结构变化。该领域令人兴奋的新篇章是发现长距离染色体相互作用也会改变基因表达。表观遗传修饰是重要发育事件的关键调节因子，包括X染色体失活、基因组印记、Hox基因的模式形成和神经元发育。本入门指南简要介绍了表观遗传学的这些方面，并对两位表观遗传科学家进行了访谈。
