Deans Carrie, Maggert Keith A
Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843.
Genetics. 2015 Apr;199(4):887-96. doi: 10.1534/genetics.114.173492.
Interest in the field of epigenetics has increased rapidly over the last decade, with the term becoming more identifiable in biomedical research, scientific fields outside of the molecular sciences, such as ecology and physiology, and even mainstream culture. It has become increasingly clear, however, that different investigators ascribe different definitions to the term. Some employ epigenetics to explain changes in gene expression, others use it to refer to transgenerational effects and/or inherited expression states. This disagreement on a clear definition has made communication difficult, synthesis of epigenetic research across fields nearly impossible, and has in many ways biased methodologies and interpretations. This article discusses the history behind the multitude of definitions that have been employed since the conception of epigenetics, analyzes the components of these definitions, and offers solutions for clarifying the field and mitigating the problems that have arisen due to these definitional ambiguities.
在过去十年中，表观遗传学领域的关注度迅速上升，这个术语在生物医学研究、分子科学以外的科学领域（如生态学和生理学）甚至主流文化中越来越为人所知。然而，越来越明显的是，不同的研究者对这个术语赋予了不同的定义。一些人用表观遗传学来解释基因表达的变化，另一些人用它来指代跨代效应和/或遗传表达状态。这种在明确定义上的分歧使得交流变得困难，跨领域的表观遗传学研究几乎无法整合，并且在许多方面使方法和解释产生了偏差。本文讨论了自表观遗传学概念提出以来所采用的众多定义背后的历史，分析了这些定义的组成部分，并提出了解决方案，以厘清该领域并缓解由于这些定义上的模糊性而产生的问题。
