Epigenetics in Health and Disease: Focus on epigenetic mechanisms as systems of change and adaptability
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Abstract
Epigenetics can be described as the field that studies the distinct molecular mechanisms that modulate gene
expression without entailing actual changes in the genetic sequence. The regulation of gene expression is a
fundamental process in cellular and molecular biology, which ultimately promotes cellular adaptation in response to
internal and external environmental stimuli. Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone post translational modification (PTM), and non-coding RNA are the most broadly studied epigenetic mechanisms shown to
play a vital role in the regular maintenance of distinct cellular populations as well as in the pathology of a variety of
health-associated maladies.
The current thesis presents a collection of studies addressing the distinctive roles of epigenetic mechanisms as
systems of change and adaptability and their association with different healthy/diseased phenotypes. Such studies will
focus on research topics involved in 1) Epigenetic treatment of genomic imprinting disorder, 2) transcriptional and
epigenetic alterations associated with resilient behavior to chronic stress, 3) host-gut microbiota communication
network associated with the stress-response system, and 4) transcriptional alterations associated with mTOR inhibition
in adult neurons. In addition, several studies will highlight the progression of various methodologies used to monitor
the diverse epigenetic alterations and their influence on gene expression changes. Each study provides a unique
prospect emphasizing the role of the epigenetic mechanism in the referred health-associated condition as well as its
broad function as an evolutionary tool of change and adaptability.
Lastly, this thesis will present a novel outlook and concepts aiming to properly define and sub-classify the distinct
epigenetic mechanisms based on their capacity of alteration and their necessity in various cellular populations. Such
novel views could provide a stimulating re-evaluation of the distinct epigenetic mechanisms, which will encourage
further examination of the basic models of epigenetics and will herewith contribute to the field’s further progression.