Okuzeka
Genetics & Biotechnology vocabulary · Gene Expression and Regulation

Epigenetics

Meaning in genetics & biotechnology, with examples

/ˌepɪdʒəˈnetɪks/nounCommon term

In genetics & biotechnology, epigenetics means: The study of changes in gene activity that do not alter the DNA sequence itself, such as DNA methylation and chemical marks on histone proteins.

In Turkish: epigenetik

How it is used

Used in research on development, aging, cancer and the effect of the environment on genes. The adjective 'epigenetic' is very common: epigenetic changes, epigenetic marks, epigenetic regulation. Some epigenetic marks are copied from cell to cell when cells divide.

Example sentences

  1. Diet and smoking can leave epigenetic marks on immune cells.

  2. Her lab studies epigenetics in plant responses to drought.

Common collocations

  • epigenetic changes
  • epigenetic marks
  • epigenetic regulation
  • DNA methylation
  • histone modification
  • gene expressionThe process by which the information in a gene is used to make a product, usually a protein, and the level at which this happens in a cell.
  • promoterA region of DNA just before a gene where RNA polymerase and transcription factors bind to start transcription.
  • transcription factorA protein that binds to specific DNA sequences, usually near a promoter, and switches the transcription of certain genes on or off.
  • upregulateTo increase the expression or activity of a gene or protein. The opposite is 'downregulate'.

More terms: Gene Expression and Regulation

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: