The science of how the activity of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid, which is the fundamental genetic material of cells) can be altered semi-permanently by chemical processes rather than by natural MUTATION. Genes contain instructions for making proteins. The natural process of implementing these instructions – gene expression – can be altered by chemical groups attaching themselves to the chemical bases that make up a strand of DNA. This, in turn, affects the generation of proteins from the genes so tagged. Some chemical groups can even stop a gene from being expressed. Recently, research in Australia showed that such a chemically induced alteration could be inherited, at least in mice. This points to the possibility that inherited epigenetic characteristics could cause ‘inherited diseases’ in the same way that natural genetic mutations do. These developments suggest that epigenetics will be an important part of genetic studies and research. Not all geneticists, however, believe that this developing aspect of genetics is so important and this debate will continue.
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