Learning Objectives

• Explain what epigenetics is and its impact on future generations
• Relate how developmental genes are shared across species and in some cases can be substituted without any deleterious consequences
• Distinguish how gene regulation and environment (micro and macro) can influence gene expression
• Evaluate the effect of master-regulators such as HOX genes on development and organ specific genes such as PAX6 and SRY
• Examine how multifactorial inheritance is involved in fetal development

Epigenetics

• what is epigenetics?
• how permanent are epigenetic changes?
• if embryonic cells are exact copies of the parent cell, how do they become different?
• compare euchromatin and heterochromatin?
• how does the state of chromatin change?
• what 2 mechanisms induce epigenetic change?

Epigenetic Reprogramming & Imprinting

• what is epigenetic reprogramming?
• what are the steps of epigenetic reprogramming?
• what are imprinted genes?
• is imprinting transmitted? why or why not?
• compare the genetic defect of Prader-Willi vs Angelman syndrome?