An international team of scientists under the Human Epigenome Project has unveiled the map of the epigenome, that is, all those non-genetic modifications of our genome. The study has been published in the journal Nature and, among other institutions, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) participates, as well as researchers from Croatia, Canada and the United States.
The decade-long research received € 210 million in funding from a US government research program launched in 2008. It will help extract valuable information to link genetic variations with disease.
The human genome is made up of the DNA sequence found in chromosomes; this is identical in all cells but thanks to the epigenome we can differentiate them . The epigenome is influenced by environmental factors, smoking, exercise, diet or exposure to toxic chemicals, among others, so it is very valuable information at a medical level.
” The only way to deliver on the promise of precision medicine is to include the epigenome, ” explains Manolis Kellis, a co-author of the study.
In the complex epigenetic map just presented, it is shown how each of the 127 types of tissues and cells differs from any other in terms of their DNA. This is the first time that the “molecular switches” that can turn individual genes on or off in our DNA have been identified in these “epigenetic signatures”.
These data will allow discovering with 90% precision where a metastatic cancer originates , for example. In the same way, this epigenetic information (which explains why there are identical twins who do not develop the same diseases or pathologies) will also help oncologists to prescribe a much more appropriate treatment.
