Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: allmendream
Knowing what the genome is helps to understand epigenetic factors just as much as genetic factors.

Duh. It will still turn out to be a disappointment. For example, during fertilization, an egg actually goes through a process of selecting a sperm. By what criteria? They are almost certainly environmental conditions (hormones, sugar levels, whatever) both during the selection process and when the constituents were formed. Hence, the epigenetic "selects" the genetic.

I never said the genome project was useless, but the results are of significantly less determinative value than was touted; hence the financial performance of the resulting products will likely be a disappointment to the investors who plunked down their hard cash to finance the project. Considering the power and complexity of epigenetic factors, it will take vastly better instrumentation and computing power than we have now to even observe the process, much less characterize it. We have a very long way to go.

19 posted on 04/05/2010 7:20:32 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The RINOcrat Party is still in charge. There has never been a conservative American government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies ]


To: Carry_Okie
Epigenetic factors have to do with putting on or removing protein “chromatin” on or off the DNA strand as well as DNA methylation. We know the proteins that move the chromatin on and off, and the proteins that methylate or remove the methylation from DNA. We understand what processes are involved and they are well characterized.

What we still need to know in detail, for both the genomic and epigenomic factors; and for which sequencing the genome gives us the boundaries of the map at least; is what “roads” or “trails” lead to each genetic or epigenetic state.

20 posted on 04/05/2010 7:31:01 AM PDT by allmendream (Income is EARNED not distributed. So how could it be re-distributed?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson