Abstract
Diabetes is the disease of our time. It is a complex disorder. It is increasingly appreciated that genetic factors cannot fully explain susceptibility to diabetes and its complications. For almost a decade, the epigenetics field has grown tremendously becoming an alternative but integral component of how we interpret gene regulation. Some consider the field an epiphenomenon with an evidence base awaiting critical testing. The advent of experimental tools combined with the development of research methods has brought with the field technological advancements that allow scientists to assess ideas that have not yet been tested critically. If there was ever a time not to give up on epigenetics, then that time would be now. Under the seeming disorder of more than 3 billion base pairs, the human genome works successfully with order. It is a complex order. Instructed by a chemical code that is largely uncharted in metabolic disease, developmental studies have clearly shown that code exclusivity is key to unlocking the genetic blueprint. Central to this chemical code are specific modifications to DNA and RNA, histones and nonhistone proteins: these tiny chemical marks that have wide-ranging functions. Robustness is key, and these marks are written to be precisely read and accurately erased.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1019-1022 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Antioxidants and Redox Signaling |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Oct 2018 |
Keywords
- chromatin
- diabetes
- diabetic nephropathy
- epigenetics
- metabolism
- transcription
Cite this
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Contemporary Trends Emerging in Epigenomics and Metabolism. / El-Osta, Assam.
In: Antioxidants and Redox Signaling, Vol. 29, No. 11, 10.10.2018, p. 1019-1022.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › Other › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Contemporary Trends Emerging in Epigenomics and Metabolism
AU - El-Osta, Assam
PY - 2018/10/10
Y1 - 2018/10/10
N2 - Diabetes is the disease of our time. It is a complex disorder. It is increasingly appreciated that genetic factors cannot fully explain susceptibility to diabetes and its complications. For almost a decade, the epigenetics field has grown tremendously becoming an alternative but integral component of how we interpret gene regulation. Some consider the field an epiphenomenon with an evidence base awaiting critical testing. The advent of experimental tools combined with the development of research methods has brought with the field technological advancements that allow scientists to assess ideas that have not yet been tested critically. If there was ever a time not to give up on epigenetics, then that time would be now. Under the seeming disorder of more than 3 billion base pairs, the human genome works successfully with order. It is a complex order. Instructed by a chemical code that is largely uncharted in metabolic disease, developmental studies have clearly shown that code exclusivity is key to unlocking the genetic blueprint. Central to this chemical code are specific modifications to DNA and RNA, histones and nonhistone proteins: these tiny chemical marks that have wide-ranging functions. Robustness is key, and these marks are written to be precisely read and accurately erased.
AB - Diabetes is the disease of our time. It is a complex disorder. It is increasingly appreciated that genetic factors cannot fully explain susceptibility to diabetes and its complications. For almost a decade, the epigenetics field has grown tremendously becoming an alternative but integral component of how we interpret gene regulation. Some consider the field an epiphenomenon with an evidence base awaiting critical testing. The advent of experimental tools combined with the development of research methods has brought with the field technological advancements that allow scientists to assess ideas that have not yet been tested critically. If there was ever a time not to give up on epigenetics, then that time would be now. Under the seeming disorder of more than 3 billion base pairs, the human genome works successfully with order. It is a complex order. Instructed by a chemical code that is largely uncharted in metabolic disease, developmental studies have clearly shown that code exclusivity is key to unlocking the genetic blueprint. Central to this chemical code are specific modifications to DNA and RNA, histones and nonhistone proteins: these tiny chemical marks that have wide-ranging functions. Robustness is key, and these marks are written to be precisely read and accurately erased.
KW - chromatin
KW - diabetes
KW - diabetic nephropathy
KW - epigenetics
KW - metabolism
KW - transcription
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85052987975&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1089/ars.2017.7473
DO - 10.1089/ars.2017.7473
M3 - Editorial
VL - 29
SP - 1019
EP - 1022
JO - Antioxidants and Redox Signaling
JF - Antioxidants and Redox Signaling
SN - 1523-0864
IS - 11
ER -