Lick Your Rats

Epigenetics has opened the door towards a new way of analyzing how inherited genes are expressed and observed in real life.  This site in particular really emphasizes how the field has led to a new way of looking at the effects of expressing genetic material.

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu is an amazing site that I use regularly.

I'm a huge fan of Mouse Party if I want to teach students the areas of the brain and how taking different drugs affects these areas of the brain.  But I found this particular site on epigenetics fascinating.

If you're not familiar with epigenetics, it's the study of how gene expression changes during the course of an organism's life.  So it's analyzing the heritable changes in gene expression that result from physical changes that take place to your DNA.

So some sequences of DNA are tagged with methyl groups (methylation) or histones are acetylated or deacetylated to turn genes on or off.  This essentially studies not only what you've inherited, but how what you've inherited is expressed at various times of your life.

So in other words, it makes the science we study, far more difficult and interesting to study.  Hence this Lick Your Rats analysis of epigenetic influences on behavior.

Here's a quick excerpt from the site on epigenetics and anxiety:

Anxious Behavior Can Be an Advantage
In our society, we think of anxious behavior as being a disadvantage. But that's because, for the most part, we live in a nutrient-rich, low-danger environment. In the rat equivalent to our world, the relaxed rat lives a comfortable life. It is likely to reach a high social standing, and it doesn't have to worry about where its next meal is coming from. An anxious rat, on the other hand, doesn't do so well. It is more likely to have a low social standing and suffer from diabetes and heart disease.

In another environment, however, the tables turn. The anxious, guarded behavior of the low-nurtured rat is an advantage in an environment where food is scarce and danger is high. The low nurtured rat is more likely to keep a low profile and respond quickly to stress. In the same environment, a relaxed rat might be a little too relaxed. It may be more likely to let down its guard and be eaten by a predator.

Enjoy!