Epigenetics and Stem Cells

Biologist Dr. Doping tells about epigenetic inheritance, specialization of pluripotent stem cells. What is the process of epigenetic inheritance? Why is the original object can not be accurately reproduce by cloning? How to epigenetic changes seen in cells of the female?

For such a trend in science as overgenetics, epigenetics is very active the last couple of decades, began to develop - that is, as it were beyond genetics. What is meant by the term "epigenetics" in terms of an exact science of genetics? This inheritance is not associated with DNA from deoxyribonucleic acid, with a change of the genetic code. Inherited, but with a change in the genetic code and coding within the genetic code, it is not connected.

Fun for epigenetics experiments were carried out, in my opinion, in 2002, when scientists tried in genetically modified mice - they were introduced to a gene that gives color agouti, a pale pink, a strange color - change the color, affecting external factors . And they feed it by certain substances, which contain a sufficiently large number of chemical methyl grounds. This mouse agouti, except the color was still bad: ill because of diabetes and so on. Can we cure it by external factors? Oh, miracle! Progeny of the agouti mouse has lost color and became feel better - of course, at that time, while it lasted feeding.

Why is this really the case? A DNA sequence encoding our genes, can still undergo some chemical modifications are inherited. In particular there is a chemical modification of DNA methylation, but due to the fact that the chemical reaction occurs with the DNA, ceases to be available to read information from it. In the case of mice, agouti in diet gave many of the methyl group, the gene was silent, and it was inherited in a number of generations. He remained in the genome, just stopped working. And - lo and behold! - Mice lost color and even heal. This is just the practical impact of epigenetics.

Epigenetics is everywhere and since our birth. For example, we arise from a single cell or group of pluripotent stem cells, then they specialize in a particular type of tissue. These cells must remember, in what type of tissue they are specialized to lifelong generate exactly the type of tissue. That is, they need to get to certain environmental conditions, which will fix their epigenetic state, some work of their genome. After all the cells in the body have one and the same gene, the same gene, but some genes work in blood cells, hair work quite different genes, but it should be inherited.

And it is precisely these specialized genetic program in a single body fixed by epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetics - this kind of environment, including the environment, shows a remarkable example of the agouti mice, associated with the real environment, even food. What does this mean? This means that you can not in the same water twice enter as a philosopher Heraclitus said, five hundred years before our era, we can not repeat the story twice.

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If we think about it: we are pluripotent stem cells or cloning we do, we want someone to clone. We want to clone Einstein - let's do it. What do I need? To do this, not only to reproduce the gene pool of Einstein, that there is simply done by using cloning technology, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 2012 - to take a piece of Einstein's skin, its gene pool, move the kernel. But what we need to do? We need to repeat all the external conditions that accompanied Einstein throughout its development, from a single cell up to the birth and up to the theory of relativity. Can I do it? Of course, impossible. Therefore, if we want to clone Einstein, we find a man like Einstein. But whether he will be such a freak, who played the violin and created the theory of relativity - is not a fact, it is not a fact. This is precisely the effect of epigenetics.

We always have in the body, the life of the genes, they give us a range of possibilities. And the range of possibilities is realized in certain external environmental conditions and inherited.

What was inherited as a result of those external environmental conditions - this is an epigenetic effect.

Therefore, if we talk about pluripotent stem cells, human cloning, whether we can accurately reproduce all, if we can accurately reproduce this or that body? No. We can reproduce it accurately genetically we can try to reproduce it exactly structurally, but it will still be some other fabric, because this body has developed in other environments.

But it is not terrible, in most cases, do not be afraid. For example, if we want to renew your mind with the help of regenerative medicine, then perhaps we will be able to reproduce neurons. But whether they will have a memory? A memory - this is epigenetics, this is what we want to keep, and what defines individuality. Of course, keeping the structure of the brain, we do not save memory, because epigenetic environment in which we all do it outside the body, will be completely different. In the case of the heart, perhaps it is not so important. In the end, the heart - it is only the pump, it must be reduced by performing its function, and here we were on epigenetics is not worth paying attention to.

When we talk about the immune system, if we are using pluripotent stem cells to repair, say, a particular immune system to fight infectious diseases or cancer with some things - we need a memory. Because immunology - a memory that remains. Then it turns out that epigenetics says no, guys, we still have to educate first, because there is this memory.

Great display of epigenetics in female cells, whether the human body, whether it is - the most interesting example - cats. Women in each cell of the two X-chromosomes, but the two X-chromosome - it is too much for one woman, it is too large luxury, so each cell is one of X-chromosome to be inactivated, does not work, because if it is it will work, this will lead to a pathology. But this inactivation silencing one of X-chromosome in each cell, occurs in the early stages of embryonic development of the female body and chaotic. In one cell from the Pope inactivated chromosome from his mother in another, and so on, then it is already fixed and inherited.

Why not get some color cats? Because they do not get the right colors: they color genes located on the X-chromosome. And if we want to reproduce a particular color correct, since the X-chromosome inactivation occurs randomly, color of the parent will not be played. That is why, incidentally, abandoned cats cloning, because the owners want to get a kitty that looks exactly like the original cat, but random epigenetics, random inactivation of X-chromosome gives us diversity - the variety of feature, a variety of adaptation to the environment. And not just genetics provides us the opportunity to survive in this world, but also epigenetics, which gives a fairly broad interaction with the environment.