English

Adjective

epigenetic ‎(not comparable)

1. (genetics, mineralogy) Of or relating to epigenesis.
2. (genetics) Of or relating to epigenetics.
   • 1977 December, Rupert Riedl, “A Systems-Analytical Approach to Macro-Evolutionary Phenomena”, in The Quarterly Review of Biology, volume 52, number 4, JSTOR 2823251, page 352:

     The old and optimistic “one gene — one character” concept has long been invalidated by phenomena such as pleiotropy and polygeny, and for a generation now we have thought of genomic activity as a system of complex epigenetic interactions — an epigenetic landscape.

   • 2010 November 6, “Sins of the Fathers”, in New Scientist:

     Every cell in the body contains the same DNA but epigenetic settings on cells in the bone and blood, for example, mean the tissues do very different jobs. The epigenetic consequences of a huge range of environmental factors are under investigation, from exposure to drugs, chemicals and hormones, to the impact of poor maternal care in infancy, and the likelihood that they are as hereditable as DNA.

Derived terms

• epigenetically

Related terms

• epigenome

Translations