The 'marks' on genes may trigger disease

BALTIMORE, July 29 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers are focusing attention on the study of small marks attached to genes and involved in gene expression as a new path to understanding disease.

The science of epigenetics looks at genetic marks that are passed on between generations but are not part of the DNA sequence. These marks, usually small methyl groups, are attached to the backbones of genes and convey information. They indicate which parent a gene comes from and normally turn genes on or off. Just as changes in DNA sequences can cause diseases such as cancer, scientists now believe the gain or loss of epigenetic marks can too.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University, which has established the new, multi-institutional Center for the Epigenetics of Common Human Disease, are calling for an effort to study epigenetics comparable to that which unraveled the human genome.

"Only by superimposing genetic and epigenetic information will we get a complete picture of how genes' functions are affected in healthy people and in those with particular diseases," said Dr. Andrew Feinberg who directs the center.