An artist's illustration of a DNA double helix. Genes make up a small part of human DNA, but now a new "roadmap" of epigenomes, which direct gene activity, has been created,which researchers say will be extremely helpful in further genetic and medical research into diseases
Photo Credit: National Human Genome Research Institute/Reuters)

New epigenome map will help disease research for years to come.

A massive mapping project to understand human epigenomes has been created. These are the “directors” that provide instructions to genes on how and when to function in protein and cell creation.

Steven Jones PhD explains the significance of the development.

He is a professor at Simon Fraser University, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and also of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia (UBC). In addition, he is the Head of Bio-Informatics at the Genome Sciences Centre in Vancouver

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Stwevn Jones PhD,Head of Bioinformatics, Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency: Professor, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University Professor, Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia © bscgs.ca

Professor Jones, along with Marco Marra of Simon Fraser”s Department of Molecular Biology and Martin Hirst of UBC’s Department of Microbiology & Immunology together were the Canadian-based participants in this major research project.

As Professor Jones says, the information or new “roadmap” of epigenomes, represents a major scientific achievement

The international US/Canada scientists have produced 20 manuscripts detailing the epigenoies in over 100 distinct human cell and tissue types.

Professor Jones says that DNA making up the human genome is essentially the same in every cell, but that different parts of DNA are active in different types of tissue. For example, liver and brain cells use different pieces of DNA to produce differing repertoires of proteins, depending on how the epigenetic markers are set in each cell during embryonic development.

Epigenomes chemically code the cells properties and  are the “bookmarks” or liner notes as Professor Jones calls them, directing the cell and its properties distinguishing one type of cell from another.

However, the epigenetic settings can change later, and are implicated  in several diseases such as cancer and Alzheimers.

Professor Jones says that this new mapping, will greatly aid scientific and medical researchers for many years to come in their own research into how the body works and providing scientists with new insight into the complex the links between DNA and diseases, such cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

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