Pros And Cons Of Epigenetics

Epigenetics is just recently come into a scientific field of interest; research only began seriously in the mid 1990s, and has began to see more acceptance in the scientific community recently. Epigenetics the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression by addition of a methyl group rather than alteration of the gene itself. With primary focus of research directed more toward cancer and other serious life threatening diseases, bacterium has taken a backseat. The traditional path of research has seemingly passed the bacterial domain with little research completed in the field of epigenetics. Classical genetics can be defined as highly regulated cellular processes, mechanism include gene expression and DNA replication.

Where hyper-methylation adds hydroxyl groups in a specific binding site. Differentiating between self and non-self is one role of methylation. Non-methylated and inappropriately methylated DNA can be removed from a strain or destroyed. Epigenetic changes can switch genes on or off and determine which proteins are transcribed. The addition of methyl groups to DNA changes the conformation, this in turn changes the interactions of other genes in mechanisms within a cell needed for transcription. While normal development and health cellular activity needs epigenetic modifications, this can also spark adverse change and lead to virulence

First, methylation alters the interaction between RNA polymerase and the promoter sequences. A second mechanism involves competition between DNA adenine methyltransferase (Dam) and regulatory proteins for overlapping sites in or around promoters and regulatory regions can affect transcription. These two approaches are a means of predicting the importance, and understanding the possible function and recognition sites of the methylation in specific bacterial gene expression. Additionally determining the effect of the deletion or overexpression of each methylase Dam, cell cycle-regulated methyltransferase (CcrM) or DNA cytosine methyltransferase (Dcm) in bacterial pathogenic species. The dam gene of E. coli encodes DNA adenine methyltransferase that catalyzes the transfer of methyl groups to double-stranded DNA during DNA replication. The Dcm gene methylate’s the C5 position of cytosine residues within the specific sequences 5’-CCAGG-3’ and 5’-CCTGG-3’. While each methylase is not equal in the overall epigenetic field, Dam is the most readily studied and