Epigenetic Control of Gene Expression

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/epigenetics

Introduction

### Course Review: Epigenetic Control of Gene Expression on Coursera **Course Overview:** The "Epigenetic Control of Gene Expression" course available on Coursera is a fascinating exploration into the world of epigenetics—a rapidly advancing field that delves into how gene expression is controlled beyond the underlying DNA sequence. The course offers an exceptional opportunity for learners to understand the intricate mechanisms that influence gene activation and silencing, as well as the implications for health and disease, particularly in cancer. **Syllabus Highlights:** The course is structured into seven comprehensive weeks, each focusing on a different aspect of epigenetic control. Here's a brief rundown of what to expect in each week: 1. **Introduction to Epigenetic Control:** The course starts with foundational concepts, introducing the significance of epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation in normal biological development and genome stability. 2. **Epigenetic Modifications and Organisation of the Nucleus:** This week dives into the molecular mechanisms of gene regulation, discussing chromatin structure and the implications of non-coding RNA in gene expression. 3. **Dosage Compensation:** Students will learn about X chromosome inactivation, a key model system for understanding epigenetic processes, providing insights into stable silencing across chromosomes. 4. **Genomic Imprinting and Epigenetic Reprogramming:** Here, learners explore the significant developmental periods where the epigenome undergoes erasure and resetting, focusing on genomic imprinting mechanisms. 5. **The Influence of the Environment on Epigenetic Control:** This week examines how external factors affect the epigenome, raising intriguing discussions about stem cell reprogramming, cloning, and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. 6. **Mechanisms of Environmental Influence on Epigenetic Control:** Furthering understanding from the previous week, students investigate experimental model organisms to uncover how environmental factors can lead to epigenetic changes that span generations. 7. **Cancer Epigenetics:** The final week synthesizes prior knowledge to explore the interplay between epigenetics and cancer, delving into potential therapeutic strategies targeting epigenetic modifications. **What I Liked:** This course is well-structured and progressively builds on essential concepts, making it suitable for both beginners and those with a background in genetics. One of the standout features is its integration of current research findings, particularly regarding how disruptions in epigenetic control relate to cancer, making it highly relevant in today’s scientific landscape. **Recommendation:** I highly recommend the "Epigenetic Control of Gene Expression" course for anyone interested in genetics, molecular biology, or biomedical research. Its comprehensive approach provides a robust understanding of complex topics, and the emphasis on current research ensures that learners are up-to-date with advances in the field. Whether you are a student, a professional looking to expand your knowledge, or anyone keen to explore how environment and genetics interact, this course will provide invaluable insights. The combination of theoretical knowledge and practical case studies equips students to appreciate the dynamic nature of gene expression control and its implications for human health. In conclusion, if you’re eager to unlock the mysteries of epigenetics and discover how they shape our biological destiny, this Coursera course is undoubtedly worth your time.

Syllabus

Week 1 - Introduction to Epigenetic Control

An introduction to and definition of epigenetic control of gene expression, and its importance in normal development. We will learn what chromatin is, and how its composition and packaging can alter gene expression. We’ll also discuss the best-characterised epigenetic modification, DNA methylation, and how it is not only implicated in regulating gene expression, but also in maintaining genome stability.

We’ll discuss the molecular mechanisms for regulating gene expression in some detail, from how the DNA is packaged at a local level, right up to how the chromatin is positioned within the nucleus. We’ll learn about the chromatin modifications implicated in gene silencing and activation, the role of non-coding RNA, and higher order chromatin structures. This week will provide you with a good understanding of the basic mechanisms that will help you understand the processes we discuss throughout the rest of the course.

X chromosome inactivation is a really well-characterised epigenetic process that is now used as a model system to study epigenetic processes that are relevant more broadly. This is because it uses many epigenetic mechanisms, at many levels, to achieve really stable silencing of a whole chromosome. We’ll learn about this process and how it occurs in a mouse in great detail, which will greatly add to the mechanistic understanding gained in week two. We will then briefly discuss alternate mechanisms for dosage compensation that occur in other organisms.

We’ll learn about the two important periods during development for the erasure and resetting of the epigenome. There are two well-characterised features that are treated differently during epigenetic reprogramming; imprinted genes and repeats. We’ll learn about mechanisms for genomic imprinting, and study three examples in more depth.

We start to look at some of the big areas of interest in human epigenetics, including environmental influence on the epigenome, reprogramming of somatic cells back to stem cells, cloning, and potential transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. We’ll discuss what is known to happen to the epigenome during these process, and look at some seminal case studies.

A look at the mechanisms underlying some of the observations we discussed in week 5, through the study of model organisms. We’ll learn about metastable epialleles, which have allowed the study of transgenerational epigenetics in mice, and provided some evidence for transgenerational epigenetics in mammals.

This week we’ll bring together much of what we’ve learned in previous weeks of the course, to understand how the epigenome is affected, and can also affect, cancer development and progression. We’ll then go on to discuss the potential therapeutic benefits that can come from using epigenetic biomarkers, and targeting epigenetic modifiers in cancer.