Epigenetics is the process of studying cellular and physiological phenotypic characters within the field of genetics. The study falls within the subject of genetics and the phenotypic differences which are affected by the peripheral environmental matters. These factors are notorious for switching genes on and off and also affect the way in which genes are read by the cells. Therefore, Epigenetics is the study that seeks to establish the dynamics alterations in the transcriptional potential of the cell. The alternations in this case, may or may not be heritable, even though it is controversial to use the term epigenetics to describe the process that is not heritable. A variation in the gene expression and cellular phenotype of epigenetics has many reasons and therefore apply the prefix epi-. The word epigenetics also means the alterations that occur to the cells themselves (Holliday, 2006). These are the functionally important alterations to the genome which do not result to the changes in the nucleotide sequence. Examples of the processes that produce the above changes include DNA methylation and histone modification. These two processes alter the expression of the genes without necessarily altering the DNA sequence. These epigenetics sequence may last the process of cell division for the entire period of cell life and may as well last many generations although they do not alter the DNA sequence of an organism. For instance, cellular differentiation is an example of an epigenetic change in eukaryotic biology. The term epigenetic first emerged in 1990s although for many years it was used for other meanings. In the 2008 Cold Spring Harbor, a consensus was reached on the definition of the term epigenetic trait. The definition was: a stably heritable phenotype which results from the alternations in the chromosomes without evident change in the sequence of the DNA (Holliday, 2006).
The change in the phenotype without an alteration in the genotype significantly affects how cells read the genes. The epigenetic process is a natural and regular process although it can be influenced by a number of factors such as age, disease state, and the lifestyle of a person. Modifications in the epigenetic can occur in common ways. In some situations, changes in the epigenetic may result in more damaging effects such as diseases like cancer and many others. Many researches are on going to establish the role of epigenetics in a number of human disorders and lethal diseases. The study of epigenetics began as an extensive research on combining genetics and development biology by scientists Conrad Waddington and Ernst Hadorn. The word epigenetic itself was invented by Waddington and was borrowed from the Greek term “epigenesist” which means the authority of the genetic process on growth. Currently, DNA methylation is the most studied field in epigenetics which dates back to Mahler and Griffith in 1969. The renewed interest in the field of epigenetics has resulted to the new findings on the relationship between epigenetic changes and a number of host disorders which comprises of cancer, immune disorder, mental retardation, pediatric disorders, among others. The field of epigenetic is growing and new research has linked a person’s lifestyle on the genome that influences epigenetic change. Another important epigenetic process is the chromatic modification. This is a complex of protein and DNA which is firmly bundled so that it may fit into the nucleus. Of all the epigenetic research conducted, the most tackled disease is cancer. Also the evidence that links epigenetic processes with cancer is becoming tremendously convincing.
After interviewing my family, I have established that there are diseases that are hereditary. Although I have not seen within my generation, I am informed that my grandmother died of cancer. In addition, my father informed me that although my grandmother was diagnosed with level four of cancer, she could not withstand the clot in her mind. My father and other family members have not had any cases of symptoms of cancer. I also learned that within my mother’s lineage, there was a person with diabetes. This is caused by the inability of insulin to control the levels of sugar in the body. Cancer is a hereditary disease and my parents are worried that it might be appear again. In addition, my mother is worried that diabetes within her lineage might appear. Cancer is the only disease in our family that can be linked with epigenetic. According to the study on cancer, it has been established that genes of colorectal cancer cells are considerably hypo-methylated when compared to the normal tissues. In order to control cancer in my family lineage, when the disease arises, it is better to tackle it using the epigenetic treatment. The epigenetic changes are perfect because they have the ability of nature reversibility unlike the process of DNA sequence mutation. The most ideal treatment in the epigenetic field is the DNA methylation or the histone acetylation. The inhibitors of this DNA methylation can be used to reactivate the genes that have been silenced within the cancer region. To reactivate these genes, it is required of a person to consume a number of drugs. One of these drugs is 5-azacytidine which acts as a nucleotide cytosine and incorporates them into the DNA while at the same time replicating. It is important that one becomes careful when using the epigenetic treatment because it should be selective to irregular cells. Activating gene transcription in normal and regular cells could make the cells cancerous (Esteller, 2008).
It is clear that there a number of factors that will determine my life expectancy. The factors also influence how I live and what determines the long I live. The life expectancy questionnaire gives an average life expectancy to each age group of people. However, no person is average and personal differences are important in determining how long a person lives. It is also evident that every generation is living longer than the last generation. There a number of ways to increase the life expectancy of human beings. One of them is going for walks several days a week. Even when a person is old, they are expected to take a walk once in a while. According to nutritionists, it is important that one eats fish once in a while. Eating fist reduces the risk of one contracting a fatal heart attack by a third. Eating fish may also reduce the risk of contracting several types of cancers Scientists argue that people are expected to lift weights once in a while if they are to become healthy and increase the life longevity. A person is also expected to quit smoking if at all they are expected to have a long life. Smoking cause cancer and other related diseases (Mathers, 2001). Even if one has developed a smoking-related condition, they still can quit smoking. Having the knowledge of epigenetics can be helpful to a person in the case that needs to improve their life expectancy. In the case of a person who smokes and contracts a cancerous diseases or and other related diseases, they can use the knowledge of epigenetics to either treat the disease or try to prevent the disease. It is important that an average person has enough knowledge on how to improve their life expectancy. This comes with a list of what one should avoid by all means and what they should consume. Epigenetics deals with the treatment of diseases like cancer which reduces the life longevity of an individual (Van Dijk, 2015).
References
Holliday, R. (2006). Epigenetics: a historical overview. Epigenetics, 1(2), 76-80.
Van Dijk, S. J., Molloy, P. L., Varinli, H., Morrison, J. L., Muhlhausler, B. S., Buckley, M., & Tellam, R. L. (2015). Epigenetics and human obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 39(1), 85-97.
Esteller, M. (2008). Epigenetics in cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 358(11), 1148-1159.
Mathers, C. D., Sadana, R., Salomon, J. A., Murray, C. J., & Lopez, A. D. (2001). Healthy life expectancy in 191 countries, 1999. The Lancet, 357(9269), 1685-1691.
