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This fascinating nugget from Crews et a. (open access) adds to accumulating evidence on the importance of experience induced modification of our genomes that can be passed between generations. (The experiments are on mice, because obviously you don't do this kind of study directly on humans.) 
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The expression "epigenetic landscape" was coined by British developmental biologist Conrad Hal Waddington (1905-1975). He compared gene regulation during development to marbles rolling downhill towards a wall. As cells differentiate, the different cell fates are represented by the lowest points in a landscape made of several pits, some lower than others. Waddington also coined the expression "canalization" to describe the ability of organisms to produce the same phenotype against genetic and environmental variations.
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Some mother rats spend a lot of time licking, grooming and nursing their pups. Others seem to ignore their pups. Highly nurtured rat pups tend to grow up to be calm adults, while rat pups who receive little nurturing tend to grow up to be anxious. It turns out that the difference between a calm and an anxious rat is not genetic – it’s epigenetic. The nurturing behavior of a mother rat during the first week of life shapes her pups’ epigenomes. And the epigenetic pattern that mom establishes tends to stay put, even after the pups become adults.
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The domestication of chickens has given rise to rapid and extensive changes in genome function. A research team at Linköping University in Sweden has established that the changes are heritable, although they do not affect the DNA structure.
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These results demonstrate that a single generation in captivity can result in a substantial response to selection on traits that are beneficial in captivity but severely maladaptive in the wild.
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![My Mother, Myself [ANIMATION] | Science News | Scoop.it](https://img.scoop.it/RqLtVtw41_IjJKPSKCWgPDl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9)
See how a rat’s mothering style can be passed down to her pups—and to their pups and so on--by altering the mix of chemical groups, or epigenetic marks, on genes in the brain.
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If the human brain – with 100 billion neurons forging trillions of connections – were not complicated enough, new research suggests that every neuron may have its very own genome.
Add McConnell's observation to the overwhelming evidence that epigenetic modifications influence traits such as obesity, or the suggestion that the sequences of many genes are subtlty altered after being transcribed, and you get the sense that organism are not content to stick with the genome they were born with.
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Neurons in the prefrontal cortex of individuals with autism show changes at numerous sites across the genome, according to a study being published Online First by the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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A 'hidden' code linked to the DNA of plants allows them to develop and pass down new biological traits far more rapidly than previously thought, according to new findings. "Τhe results of the study provide some of the first evidence that the epigenetic code can be rewritten quickly and to dramatic effect. "This means that genes are not destiny," he said. "If we are anything like these plants, our epigenome may also undergo relatively rapid spontaneous change that could have a powerful influence on our biological traits."
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Researchers identify how social status in rhesus monkeys affects the way their genes turn on and off.
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The ranking of a monkey within her social environment and the stress accompanying that status dramatically alters the expression of nearly 1,000 genes, a new scientific study reports.
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Μια παλιά ιδέα της βιολογίας έλεγε ότι το ποιός είσαι είναι θέμα των γονιδίων που έχεις. Είναι πλέον σαφές ότι ένα εξίσου σημαντικό θέμα είναι και ποιά γονίδια χρησιμοποιείτε. Όπως και όλη η βιολογία, το θέμα αυτό έχει μια χημεία στον πυρήνα του. Τα κύτταρα του πρώιμου εμβρύου μπορεί να εξελιχθούν σε οποιοδήποτε τύπο ιστού. Αλλά καθώς το έμβρυο μεγαλώνει, τα λεγόμενα πολυδύναμα βλαστικά κύτταρα διαφοροποιούνται, αποκτώντας συγκεκριμένους ρόλους (όπως αίμα, μυς ή νευρικά κύτταρα), που παραμένουν σταθερά στους απογόνους τους. Via secret876
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The proportion of people with desirable physical traits could rapidly accelerate over a few generations with the aid of a diet that tweaks particular genes, a study suggests.
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Experience may contribute to mental illness in a surprising way: by causing...
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Caroline Hann's curator insight,
April 13, 2014 1:02 AM
Shows clearly the effects of methylation and acetylation on a gene
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Scientists presented new research demonstrating the impact life experiences can have on genes and behavior. The studies examine how such environmental information can be transmitted from one generation to the next -- a phenomenon known as epigenetics. This new knowledge could ultimately improve understanding of brain plasticity, the cognitive benefits of motherhood, and how a parent's exposure to drugs, alcohol, and stress can alter brain development and behavior in their offspring.
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Worms given life-span-enhancing mutations produce offspring that lack the responsible genes but live longer anyway.
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