An epigenetic view of suicide and early life adversity

摘要

Epigenetics refers to the processes that allow the genome to respond and adapt the functions of genes in response to environmental cues.12 The chemical structure surrounding the DNA, called the epigenome, facilitates these activities by increasing or decreasing gene expression via three commonly described mechanisms: DNA methyl-ation; histone modification; and non-coding RNAs.Briefly, histone modifications alter the structure of chromatin and influence chromatin conformation.13 Chro-matin's active "open" state allows the transcription machinery to access genes and synthesize mRNA strands, while chromatin's inactive "closed" state prevents this process from occurring, inducing a reduction in gene expression.