Introduction

It’s hard to believe that only some 60 odd years have gone
by since Watson and Crick introduced humanity to the double
helix.  Today, terms like genes, DNA, RNA, genetic mutations,
genetic (inherited) diseases and so on are common currency.  Most
of us know what they mean.  Indeed, the time came when the
scientific world asked itself the question:  Can we map the human
genome?  Can we determine what all the letters of this intriguing
universe are?

The human genome project began in 1990 and was initiated by
the U.S. Department of Energy and the National institutes of
Health.  My understanding is that this was a worldwide effort
with many countries entrusted with the task of decoding and
recording a part of the genome.  It was expected to take 15
years, instead it was completed in 13 years.  A rare example of a
project that finished ahead of time!

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What is Epigenetics?

Epigenetics literally means “on” genes.  It’s an area of
science that deals with all modifications to genes excluding
changes in the DNA sequence itself.  (When a cell divides, an
error could occur when transcribing the information to the
daughter cell; this is called a mutation and should not be
confused with epigenetics).  Epigenetics modifications include
addition of molecules, like methyl groups, to the DNA structure.
Adding these components changes the appearance and structure of
DNA, it will change how it relates to important transcribing
molecules in the cell’s nucleus.

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Methylation

DNA methylation is the addition of a methyl group to
specific bases in the DNA sequence.  A methyl group includes 1
carbon atom + 3 hydrogen atoms (-CH3).

Startling scientific discoveries have recently revealed that
single nutrients, toxins, behaviors or environmental exposures
can silence or activate a gene without actually altering its
genetic makeup.

For instance, environmental exposure initiate a chemical
modification that mobilizes a methyl group.  In turn, the methyl
group attaches to the control segment of a gene and either
silences it or alternately activates it.  One way or the other,
the gene is compelled to change its normal activity

Methylation plays an important role in plants.  More will be
said on that in the section on plants.

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There is at any given moment million of chemical reactions
taking place in our bodies.  You can liken it to a carefully
choreographed dance, an exquisite ballet comprising a
phenomenally talented corps.  I like to think of it as the dance
of life; were it to stop, life will stop with it!  So who are the
performers and what exactly do they do?

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Ribosome

Ribosomes are roughly-spherical bodies that are contained
within the cell.  They are very small and can be seen only under
the electron microscope.  They are formed from two subunits, one
being larger than the other.

Ribosomes are the factory where a given protein is
manufactured.  Put in a simple way:  the mRNA brings the
instructions needed to synthesize the protein; the Amino Acids
(AA) required for the protein are carried to the site by the
tRNA; finally, as already mentioned, rRNA is part of the
machinery (and part of the ribosome itself) that manufacture the
protein.

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Amino Acids (AA)

There are 20 AA.  They are in alphabetical order:

Alanine.  Arginine*.  Asparagine.  Aspartic Acid.  Cysteine.
Glutamic Acid.  Glutamine.  Glycine.  Histidine*.  Isoleucine*.
Leucine*.  Lysine*.  Methionine*.  Phenylalanine*.  Proline.
Serine.  Threonine*.  Tryptophan*.  Tyrosine.  Valine*.

The atoms in AA are:  hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen,
and sulfur.

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How identical are identical twins really are?  Epigenetics
has – at least partly – answered a question that has puzzled
humanity for centuries.  Why do IT strive to be the same early in
their life, then reach a fork in the road when they go in
different directions and begin to more and more differ?

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For some genes, the addition of methyl groups to the DNA
structure is used to differentiate gene copies, i.e. which is
inherited from the mother and which comes from the father.  This
is known as imprinting.  The epigenetics marks, in addition to
serving as identifiers, will also tell the cell which copy to use
to make proteins.

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We are beginning to realize that many illnesses are linked
to epigenetics mechanisms.  The list is long and it includes
cancers of all types, respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive,
autoimmune, and neurobehavioral diseases.  Known or suspected
agents behind epigenetics processes include heavy metals,
pesticides, diesel exhaust, cigarettes, hormones, radioactivity,
viruses and bacteria.  The need to understand epigenetics and
epigenomics (the genomewide distribution of epigenetics changes)
has recently come sharply into focus.  This knowledge is a very
important tool to fight the many debilitating diseases that are
still plaguing humankind.

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Mental Illnesses

In 2003, Dr. Moshe Szyf, professor of Pharmacology, McGill
University, and Michael Meaney, Associate Director of Research,
Douglas Hospital, conducted an important experiment.

First they observed that young rats who received a healthy
dose of maternal licking and grooming (the human equivalent of
maternal care) as pups developed into much calmer adults.  Those
rats who were deprived at the onset of this rat-like maternal
affection were decidedly more stressed.  This, needless to say,
is not an earth-shaking discovery.  We have known for a long time
the importance of maternal care, and its lifetime impact on the
individual.

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The curse of addiction must have existed since ancient
times.  It did not take long for primitive humans to discover
that certain plants have properties that contribute to the “well-
being” of a person.  The plants in question were either chewed,
eaten, or smoked.

Having never experimented with drugs, I can only speculate
as to the reasons people start using them and eventually getting
hooked.  Some possibilities:  Under peer pressure, at a young
age, trying a drug(s); escaping an emotionally taxing situation;
or simply boredom.  The brain has 40 to 50 billion neurons, the
number of connections (synapses) between these neurons defy
compilation (we’re probably talking of trillions).  There is
constant firing of neurons, endless chattering.  As long as we
are awake, the brain is incredibly active.  Active doing what?
Well, that’s exactly the point, the brain need to be constantly
“fed.”  What food?  Knowledge, challenges, intelligent activity.
We either keep ourselves meaningfully occupied, or we shush our
brain – with drugs.  But there is a price to pay.

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Lifestyles

It’s a simple proposition.

We eat in moderation and properly (plenty of fruits and
vegetables, little meat, and we make sure we consume adequate
servings of the 4 groups of food recommended by Health Canada).
We exercise restraint when drinking.  We do not smoke.

Since our ancestors were farmers, or otherwise worked very
hard in a physical sense, we should remember to exercise
adequately, for most of us no longer till the soil or perform
hard physical labor.

If we do so, we remain healthy; if we don’t, we suffer from
ill-health.

What happens in real life?  Most of us spend our summers
barbecuing.  We eat as if a time of starvation was just around
the corner!  We drink to excess.  The nation is littered with gym
memberships which are not used!  It’s from the home to the car to
work and back home.

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Environment

I said that epigenetics modifications work both ways.  For
better or for worse, our epigenome is impacted by the
environment.  This could be a positive force, for example if we
eat properly, or it could be a negative force.

According to Dr. Kim Lyerly, M.D., Director of the Duke
Comprehensive Cancer Centre, exposure to pesticides, toxins, and
synthetic material can methylate genes in adulthood and cause
diseases such as asthma and cancer, both of which are much higher
today than they were decades ago.  Pesticides absorbed by the
mother and passed on to the fetus might remain dormant in the
individual only to cause cancer 10, 20 or 50 years later.

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