WITH the human genome in the bag, another ambitious project was launched this week. Within five years, we will have mapped the methylation patterns of our genes.
The DNA base cytosine is often modified by a chemical unit called a methyl group. This can switch genes off and on, creating big differences between organisms or cells with exactly the same DNA sequence. Now Epigenomics, a biotech firm in Berlin, and the publicly funded Sanger Institute in the UK are to map the patterns of methylation in healthy people.
It will not be easy. The DNA in the sperm and egg…
