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【bio-news】表观遗传学：应当重新思考遗传物质观
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090118200632.htm
ScienceDaily (Jan. 18, 2009) — Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have detected evidence that DNA may not be the only carrier of heritable information; a secondary molecular mechanism called epigenetics may also account for some inherited traits and diseases. These findings challenge the fundamental principles of genetics and inheritance, and potentially provide a new insight into the primary causes of human diseases.
Your mother's eyes, your father's height, your predisposition to disease-- these are traits inherited from your parents. Traditionally, 'heritability' is estimated by comparing monozygotic (genetically identical) twins to dizygotic (genetically different) twins. A trait or disease is called heritable if monozygotic twins are more similar to each other than dizygotic twins. In molecular terms, heritability has traditionally been attributed to variations in the DNA sequence.
CAMH's Dr. Art Petronis, head of the Krembil Family Epigenetics Laboratory, and his team conducted a comprehensive epigenetic analysis of 100 sets of monozygotic and dizygotic twins in the first study of its kind. Said Dr. Petronis, "We investigated molecules that attach to DNA and regulate various gene activities. These DNA modifications are called epigenetic factors."
The CAMH study showed that epigenetic factors – acting independently from DNA – were more similar in monozygotic twins than dizygotic twins. This finding suggests that there is a secondary molecular mechanism of heredity. The epigenetic heritability may help explain currently unclear issues in human disease, such as the presence of a disease in only one monozygotic twin, the different susceptibility of males (e.g. to autism) and females (e.g. to lupus), significant fluctuations in the course of a disease (e.g. bipolar disorder, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis), among numerous others.
"Traditionally, it has been assumed that only the DNA sequence can account for the capability of normal traits and diseases to be inherited," says Dr. Petronis. "Over the last several decades, there has been an enormous effort to identify specific DNA sequence changes predisposing people to psychiatric, neurodegenerative, malignant, metabolic, and autoimmune diseases, but with only moderate success. Our findings represent a new way to look for the molecular cause of disease, and eventually may lead to improved diagnostics and treatment."
An advance online publication of this study will be available on the Nature Genetics website on January 18, 2009.
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Adapted from materials provided by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. 但是是什么指导这些表观的分子或因子呢？ 本人已认领该文编译，48小时后若未提交译文，请其他战友自由认领。 看来lvziquan1984过年去了，本人代领该文编译吧，48小时后若未提交译文，请其他战友自由认领 抱歉，这几天实在太忙，静候老兄你的翻译：） 学习了~~~~~~~~~~~· Rethinking The Genetic Theory Of Inheritance
对遗传“基因说”的反思
inheritance：遗传，继承，强调的是事实，历史很悠久。
genetic theory：用来解释inheritance的学说，基于“gene”，相对较新，本人理解为“基因说”。
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090118200632.htm
Dr. Art Petronis, head of the Krembil Family Epigenetics Laboratory at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, has revealed new evidence that DNA may not be the only carrier of heritable information; a secondary molecular mechanism called epigenetics may also account for some inherited traits and diseases. These findings challenge the fundamental principles of genetics and inheritance, and potentially provide a new insight into the primary causes of human diseases.
DNA是遗传信息的唯一载体吗？精神卫生与成瘾中心(CAMH)、Krembil家族（由其捐助）表观遗传学实验室主任——Art Petronis博士再一次提出了否定的证据：某些可遗传的性状和疾病由一种被称作“表观遗传学”的分子机制来负责，而不是DNA。 这不仅对“基因说”与遗传的基本原则构成了挑战，也为研究人类疾病的本质提供了新的方向。
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-03-24 13:59
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