Methylation of a gene promoter determines how loudly the glucocorticoid receptor gene is read
Evidence
Weaver and Meaney traced the mechanism to a specific region of the glucocorticoid receptor gene — a promoter region, the stretch of DNA that acts as an on/off switch for gene transcription. In low-licked pups, this promoter was methylated. In high-licked pups, it was not. And this difference in methylation — this tiny chemical modification, a methyl group consisting of one carbon and three hydrogen atoms attached to a cytosine base in the DNA — determined whether the cell read the glucocorticoid receptor gene at full volume or at a whisper. — , The Rod and the Child, 6789
Categorization
- DEFINE: Explains promoter region and methylation in concrete mechanistic detail.
- XREF: Pairs with the later Tyrka human study and with Szyf’s computer/software metaphor on epigenetic programming. — connects to: Early-life methylation marks persist for life yet remain chemically reversible — , The Rod and the Child: A Global History…, 6791; Methylation patterns replicate across cell divisions so transient experience becomes lifelong marks — , The Rod and the Child: A Global History…, 6801
Related
- Early-life methylation marks persist for life yet remain chemically reversible (similarity 0.84)
- Methylation patterns replicate across cell divisions so transient experience becomes lifelong marks (similarity 0.84)
Broader Connections
- Methylation patterns replicate across cell divisions so transient experience becomes lifelong marks
#expands(0.75) — , The Rod and the Child, 6801