Jammes Hélène, Junien Claudine, Chavatte-Palmer Pascale
INRA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
Reprod Fertil Dev. 2011;23(1):64-74. doi: 10.1071/RD10259.
In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that epigenetic regulation of gene expression is critical during embryo development and subsequently during pre- and post-natal life. The phenotype of an individual is the result of complex interactions between genotype and current, past and ancestral environment leading to a lifelong remodelling of its epigenome. Practically, if the genome was compared with the hardware in a computer, the epigenome would be the software that directs the computer's operation. This review points to the importance of epigenetic processes for genome function in various biological processes, such as embryo development and the expression of quantitative traits.
近年来，越来越清楚的是，基因表达的表观遗传调控在胚胎发育期间以及随后的产前和产后生活中至关重要。个体的表型是基因型与当前、过去和祖先环境之间复杂相互作用的结果，导致其表观基因组进行终身重塑。实际上，如果将基因组比作计算机中的硬件，那么表观基因组就是指导计算机运行的软件。这篇综述指出了表观遗传过程在各种生物学过程（如胚胎发育和数量性状的表达）中对基因组功能的重要性。
