Nurturing
Our environment does make a difference to the genetic makeup of the next generation.
Epigenetics: Why Care?
When my husband was asked why he found me attractive, his reply always was,
“ Because she has good genes.” To my ears it was not a very romantic answer, but he sincerely meant what he said. He told me that when he had decided to get married he started looking for a woman with characteristics that he hoped would carry on to the next generation. I suppose something carried on because several months ago my granddaughter circulated a picture of three generations of women in our family. It showed us all sporting big smiles topped with cascading dark curly hair. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind, we looked like family. I was never sure if it was the curly hair or something else that my husband found attractive.
Geneticists have been working for years to determine the statistical likelihood of your child turning out one way or another. The first words spoken by those visiting new parents are often, “Who does she look like?” The answer, “Oh, Aunt Bessie or Uncle Gary . . . just look at the resemblance!” Modified food, animal husbandry and plant biology have been in the news as targets of complex genetic research. Since the completion of the human genome study we are starting to learn a great deal more about our own condition.
Do you remember Mendel’s peas? When I was in school, genetics was a matter of identifying what would happen to the next generation after cross fertilizing peas. Now students learn of how their cells carry instructions formed on a double helix which hold nucleotide bases. They study that their DNA sequencing gives order to these bases passing on directions that affect growth and death. If you think this information is a lot to comprehend, just consider that there are 3 billion bases and over 20,000 genes making proteins that trigger the biological functions we call life.
So what is epigenetics? Remember the old question of what was more important, your environment or genetic makeup? My friends and I used to spend hours debating the issue, especially when we knew someone who had strange behaviors. “Were they born that way or was it the way they were raised?” we would ask. Well it turns out, the two are related and that certain environmental happenings can cause genes to be turned off and on. They can become dormant or active depending on where you live, what you eat, your sleep patterns, exercise regime, and even your friendships. It is these every day occurrences over time that turn the genetic toggle switch. Even diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer can be genes that have switched away from what was once a healthy state to something with more dire consequences. What is happening is that without changing DNA sequencing, chemical modifications leave marks on segments of the DNA or related proteins that control the off/on switch.
It is epigenetics that makes us unique, because it is the different combination of genes that are turned off and on that makes us enjoy spicy food, have a quiet contemplative or bubbly personality, or even be attracted to curly haired women. And it is this uniqueness of inherited genes, modified by environment, that scientists now believe can be carried on to the next generation. You might think that mapping every single cause and effect of every possible combination could help keep the good and get rid of the bad genes, to slow aging or stop obesity, but it is an impossible task as we know it today. No orchestra leader has stepped forward with a way to conduct this rich genetic music. Methods of control remain for science fiction writers to contemplate.
Why do we care? In an article written for Public Health Ethics, Michele Loi writes from Portugal that, “ Recent epidemiological reports of associations between socioeconomic status and epigenetic markers that predict vulnerability to diseases are bringing to light substantial biological effects of social inequalities.” She goes on to say that there are moral consequences of these findings due to inequality in health care. In my mind epigeneticist have issued a challenge to socially minded people and policy makers.
We now know that the epigenome is highly sensitive and responsive to environmental influences, including toxic exposures, dietary factors, and behavioral impacts. For example, stress and heart disease, intellectual disabilities, immune and psychiatric disorders are all potentially affected by epigenetic changes. Epigenetic effects are especially sensitive during fetal development and in newborn infants. A pregnant woman living in poverty without proper nutrition or medical care, could permanently affect the genetic makeup of her child. Smog, water quality and over populated crime ridden cities can carry forward epigenetic scars that have huge consequences for the rest of society.
The chain of connection between the social and natural or biological world is important to consider as we work to build the type of society we want. By not paying attention to early childhood development, environmental and health issues of all citizens we are accepting great risks to the human population as a whole.
Art work is always for sale. For information go to eichingerfineart.com
I enjoy your comments. Please respond to this blog below.
For a greater understanding of epigenetic and social consequences go to the following sites:
http://www.whatisepigenetics.com/fundamentals/
http://phe.oxfordjournals.org/content/6/2/142.full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3034450/
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Our environment does make a difference to the genetic makeup of the next generation.
Epigenetics: Why Care?
When my husband was asked why he found me attractive, his reply always was,
“ Because she has good genes.” To my ears it was not a very romantic answer, but he sincerely meant what he said. He told me that when he had decided to get married he started looking for a woman with characteristics that he hoped would carry on to the next generation. I suppose something carried on because several months ago my granddaughter circulated a picture of three generations of women in our family. It showed us all sporting big smiles topped with cascading dark curly hair. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind, we looked like family. I was never sure if it was the curly hair or something else that my husband found attractive.
Geneticists have been working for years to determine the statistical likelihood of your child turning out one way or another. The first words spoken by those visiting new parents are often, “Who does she look like?” The answer, “Oh, Aunt Bessie or Uncle Gary . . . just look at the resemblance!” Modified food, animal husbandry and plant biology have been in the news as targets of complex genetic research. Since the completion of the human genome study we are starting to learn a great deal more about our own condition.
Do you remember Mendel’s peas? When I was in school, genetics was a matter of identifying what would happen to the next generation after cross fertilizing peas. Now students learn of how their cells carry instructions formed on a double helix which hold nucleotide bases. They study that their DNA sequencing gives order to these bases passing on directions that affect growth and death. If you think this information is a lot to comprehend, just consider that there are 3 billion bases and over 20,000 genes making proteins that trigger the biological functions we call life.
So what is epigenetics? Remember the old question of what was more important, your environment or genetic makeup? My friends and I used to spend hours debating the issue, especially when we knew someone who had strange behaviors. “Were they born that way or was it the way they were raised?” we would ask. Well it turns out, the two are related and that certain environmental happenings can cause genes to be turned off and on. They can become dormant or active depending on where you live, what you eat, your sleep patterns, exercise regime, and even your friendships. It is these every day occurrences over time that turn the genetic toggle switch. Even diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer can be genes that have switched away from what was once a healthy state to something with more dire consequences. What is happening is that without changing DNA sequencing, chemical modifications leave marks on segments of the DNA or related proteins that control the off/on switch.
It is epigenetics that makes us unique, because it is the different combination of genes that are turned off and on that makes us enjoy spicy food, have a quiet contemplative or bubbly personality, or even be attracted to curly haired women. And it is this uniqueness of inherited genes, modified by environment, that scientists now believe can be carried on to the next generation. You might think that mapping every single cause and effect of every possible combination could help keep the good and get rid of the bad genes, to slow aging or stop obesity, but it is an impossible task as we know it today. No orchestra leader has stepped forward with a way to conduct this rich genetic music. Methods of control remain for science fiction writers to contemplate.
Why do we care? In an article written for Public Health Ethics, Michele Loi writes from Portugal that, “ Recent epidemiological reports of associations between socioeconomic status and epigenetic markers that predict vulnerability to diseases are bringing to light substantial biological effects of social inequalities.” She goes on to say that there are moral consequences of these findings due to inequality in health care. In my mind epigeneticist have issued a challenge to socially minded people and policy makers.
We now know that the epigenome is highly sensitive and responsive to environmental influences, including toxic exposures, dietary factors, and behavioral impacts. For example, stress and heart disease, intellectual disabilities, immune and psychiatric disorders are all potentially affected by epigenetic changes. Epigenetic effects are especially sensitive during fetal development and in newborn infants. A pregnant woman living in poverty without proper nutrition or medical care, could permanently affect the genetic makeup of her child. Smog, water quality and over populated crime ridden cities can carry forward epigenetic scars that have huge consequences for the rest of society.
The chain of connection between the social and natural or biological world is important to consider as we work to build the type of society we want. By not paying attention to early childhood development, environmental and health issues of all citizens we are accepting great risks to the human population as a whole.
Art work is always for sale. For information go to eichingerfineart.com
I enjoy your comments. Please respond to this blog below.
For a greater understanding of epigenetic and social consequences go to the following sites:
http://www.whatisepigenetics.com/fundamentals/
http://phe.oxfordjournals.org/content/6/2/142.full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3034450/
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