Epigenome

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/epigenome

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary regulatory mechanisms?DNA methylation and histone modifications (acetylation, methylation, etc.)
2. What is the chromatin dynamics?Epigenetic marks alter chromatin structure, controlling DNA accessibility for gene transcription
3. How do DNA methylation and histone modifications change gene activity?DNA methylation adds a tiny chemical group to DNA that usually silences a gene. Histone modifications add or remove tags on proteins that hold DNA, loosening or tightening the DNA so genes can be read or hidden.
4. Why does the epigenome matter when we grow into different kinds of cells?During development, the epigenome tells identical cells to become different types—like turning a stem cell into a muscle cell or a brain cell—by turning the right genes on and the others off.

Chromatin: The complex of DNA and proteins (histones) that forms chromosomes within the nucleus of eukaryotic cells.
DNA Methylation: A biochemical process involving the addition of a methyl group to DNA, typically regulating gene expression.
Histone Modifications: Post-translational modifications to histone proteins that alter chromatin structure and gene accessibility.
Transcription Factors: Proteins that bind to specific DNA sequences to control the rate of transcription of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA.