Epigenetics: DNA methylation and genomic imprinting
Epigenética: metilación del ADN e impronta genómica
- Date
- 1975-2003 · confidence medium
- Place
- University of Edinburgh, Scotland / Cambridge (Surani)
- Credited to
- Conrad Waddington (concept, 1942), Robin Holliday and Arthur Riggs (heritable methylation, 1975), Adrian Bird (CpG islands), Azim Surani and Davor Solter (imprinting, 1984), David Allis (histone code)
- People
- 👤 Adrian Peter Bird1947–👤 Arthur Riggs1939–2022👤 Azim Surani1945–👤 Charles David Allis1951–2023👤 Conrad Hal Waddington1905–1975👤 Davor Solter1941–👤 Robin Holliday1932–2014
- Field
- Life & health
What was discovered
Chemical marks on DNA and histones regulate gene expression without changing the sequence and can be inherited through cell division. It explains differentiation, parental imprinting and X inactivation.
Development was gradual and collective; no single date sums it up.
What it led to
- epigenomics and developmental biology
- epigenetic drugs against cancer
- study of environmental and ageing effects on the genome
- epigenetic clocks
Built on
- Lyonization (X-chromosome inactivation)1961
- Lac operon and gene regulation1961
- X-chromosome inactivation (Lyon, 1961)
Made possible
- bisulfite sequencing
- biological age clocks