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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

epigenetics en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˌɛpɪd͡ʒəˈnɛtɪks/

Etymology

Blend of epigenesis + genetics; coined by British biologist and geneticist C. H. Waddington in 1942.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) The study of the processes involved in the genetic development of an organism, especially the activation and deactivation of genes.
    • Epigenetics deals with the regulation of genetic activity within a cell - which genes are switched on or off, and when it happens. 2010 November 6, “Sins of the Fathers”, in New Scientist:
    • The nuts and bolts of how this happens revolves around the massively trendy field of “epigenetics,” revealing how early life experience causes long-lasting changes in gene expression in particular brain regions. 2023, Robert M. Sapolsky, Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will, New York: Penguin, →ISBN:
  2. (uncountable) The study of heritable changes caused by the activation and deactivation of genes without any change in DNA sequence.

Coordinates

epistasis

Deriveds

pharmacoepigenetics · metaboloepigenetics · neuroepigenetics

Relateds

genetic determinism · gene expression · epigenetic · epigenome · gene silencing

Translations (31)

cmn 表觀遺傳學 /表观遗传学 (study of processes) · pl epigenetyka (study of processes) · uk епігенетика (study of heritable changes) · id epigenetika (study of heritable changes) · de Epigenetik (study of processes) · hu epigenetika (study of heritable changes) · ru эпигенетика (study of heritable changes) · ja 後生学 (study of processes) · id epigenetika (study of processes) · fr épigénétique (study of processes) · de Epigenetik (study of heritable changes) · pl epigenetyka (study of heritable changes) · ga eipigéineolaíocht (study of processes) · fr épigénétique (study of heritable changes) · ja 後生学 (study of heritable changes) · sv epigenetik (study of processes) · it epigenetica (study of processes) · nl epigenetica (study of processes) · ru эпигенетика (study of processes) · uk епігенетика (study of processes) · hu epigenetika (study of processes) · ja エピジェネティクス (study of processes) · pt epigenética (study of heritable changes) · ja エピジェネティクス (study of heritable changes) · es epigenética (study of processes) · pt epigenética (study of processes) · sv epigenetik (study of heritable changes) · ga eipigéineolaíocht (study of heritable changes) · es epigenética (study of heritable changes) · it epigenetica (study of heritable changes) · nl epigenetica (study of heritable changes)