| epigenetic | <biology> Of or pertaining to the epigenesis; produced according to the theory of epigenesis. Describes something which influences the behaviour of a cell without directly affecting its DNA or other genetic machinery, such as an environmental effect. (07 May 1998) |
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| epigenetic change | <biology> Any changes in an organism brought about by alterations in the action of genes are called epigenetic changes. Epigenetic transformation refers to those processes which cause normal cells to become tumour cells without the occurrence of any mutations. (07 May 1998) |
| epigenetics | <study> The study of mechanisms involved in the production of phenotypic complexity in morphogenesis. According to the epigenetic view of differentiation, the cell makes a series of choices (some of which may have no obvious phonotypic expression and are spoken of as determination events) that lead to the eventual differentiated state. Thus, selective gene repression or derepression at an early stage in differentiation will have a wide ranging consequence in restricting the possible fate of the cell. (07 May 1998) |