EPIGENETICS

The idea of epigenetics became known almost a decade ago. It began when scientists published
research on the Dutch Hunger Winter which was a period of famine that took place towards the end
of WW2. During the famine, pregnant women were seen to be more at risk compared to others due
to their vulnerable state. Research later was shown to prove that the famine impacted the unborn
children and their offspring for the whole of their lives.

DNA is an important substance in our body that carries genetic information. Genes play an important
part in coding proteins that are used in the body. Normally, genes are seen to only be affected by
biological factors. However, epigenetics is a study of how environmental factors and behaviours
affect the way genes work to the extent of affecting the proteins they code. Epigenetic changes don’t
work the same way as gene changes as the changes are known to be reversible. A change in
epigenetics causes a change in how the body reads the particular sequence of DNA instead of
changing the DNA sequence itself. There are 3 main types of epigenetic changes: DNA Methylation,
histone modification and non-coding RNA.

Firstly, DNA Methylation is when a chemical group is added to DNA. Commonly, this chemical group
is attached to places on the DNA where proteins are restricted from attaching to DNA and prevents it
from ‘reading’ the gene. However, via a process called demethylation wherein genes can be turned
‘off’, the chemical group can be removed.

Another change is histone modification. DNA wraps around histone proteins and due to the tightness
of the wrapping, proteins that ‘read’ the DNA are incapable of ‘reading’ it therefore the gene is now
turned ‘off’. The tightness of histone proteins can be changed via chemical groups being added to the
DNA molecule to make the histone protein more or less loosely packed.

Lastly, there’s non-coding RNA. As previously mentioned, DNA provides instructions to make proteins
such as making coding and non-coding RNA. In particular, the coding RNA makes proteins. On the
other hand, non-coding RNA assists in controlling gene expression by attaching to coding RNA and
some proteins in order to break the coding RNA down. This is done so it can’t make proteins. Non-
coding RNA could also cause proteins to affect histones so it can turn genes ‘on’ and ‘off’.

Trauma in epigenetics
Interestingly, recent research has surfaced beginning to support and provide proof that suggests
trauma can be passed throughout generations due to biological factors instead of solely
psychological and mental factors. Types of traumas include things varying from fear and food
insecurity to abuse and violence.

Extreme situations and traumas leave a chemical mark on an individual’s gene sequence which
changes the way the gene is expressed. It doesn’t actually cause a mutation in the DNA, however, the
mark can still be passed through generations causing offspring to feel the same type of fear as their
parents despite never having faced it themselves.