Epigenetics-genetics gets even stranger - Page 1

In a previous post I mentioned the new research on "Dark DNA" or the inactive, junk DNA previously thought to be worthless, left over from prior evolutionary periods. I view this major discovery as the end of medellian genetics which has been prominant in human and veterinary medicine. This new field of genetics (epigenetics) has now appeared and deals with this "Dark DNA" and views it to be vitally impotrtant in reproduction, especially in developmental issues and diseases such as cancer. What makes epigenetics so interesting is its unexpected recent discovery that molecules can be added on to DNA piggy-back without altering that DNA, and these can be methylated molecules which can turn genes on and off. Epigenetics was first discovered by those breeding mules, where the female limited certain growth patterns and the male increase them. These findings will eventually have major impacts on future GSD breeding as various laws are changed to increase the breeders liabilities for breeding known genetic flaws. It may very well be that the old breeders "myths" (strongly rejected by classsical academic geneticists) that how a bitch is treated or behaves can affect the genotype and phenotype of her offspring. Prelimenary epigentic findings are showing that various chemical pollutants can actually add methylated molecules to the DNA without altering the DNA but able to affects the phenotype and/or development of the offspring. As future genetic tests are developed to type these epigenetics molecules, major progress can be made in controlling the breeding of GSDs. This topics is discussed in an excellent article from John's Hopkins: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/2002/November/epigenetics.htm Anyone seriously interested in this can do a web search on epigenetics.