Metastable Mystery: Scientists Answer 20-Year-Old Question in Epigenetics

Metastable mystery: Scientists answer 20-year-old question in epigenetics

Among genetically identical "agouti viable yellow" (Avy) mice, some are brown and lean while others are yellow and obese. These differences are due to epigenetics, a system of molecular tags—such as methyl groups—that are added to DNA during development to determine gene expression in different cell types. A 2003 study showed that simply supplementing the diet of female mice with 'methyl donor' nutrients before and during pregnancy caused more o…

Metastable mystery! Scientists answer a 20-year-old question in epigenetics

A new study published in Nucleic Acids Research shows that metastable epialleles in mice are extremely rare....