Epigenetics: Switching Genes On and Off

Abstract

The DNA of a human cell has all the information necessary to produce more than 20,400 different proteins. This information is written in an amount of DNA that, if stretched end-to-end, would measure about one meter. You can imagine how challenging it is to keep all this information in an organized way. Other animals, bacteria, and plants face the very same challenge. The solutions to the problem of DNA organization found by cells include tightly packing the DNA and switching genes “on” and “off” as needed. The study of these switches is called epigenetics. Epigenetics is a fast-growing field of research that is changing our understanding of genetic information.