Public Health 290KH - EnvirEpigenetics:CntrlYourDest

The Human Genome Project identified 25,000 genes that carry instructions to make proteins, responsible for the structure, function and regulation of our body?s organs and tissue. This course will explore the second genome, the epigenome, which guides the operation of our genes. If we think of our genes are hardware, the epigenome can be viewed as the software capable of providing functional controls guiding how, where and when our genes are expressed. Epigenetics mechanisms that help to control gene regulation through molecular switches and markers will also be examined. Through readings and discussions, we will examine this interaction between our environment and our genes to explore why our DNA is not the sole predictor of our destiny.

This course is open to Senior, Junior, and Sophmore Commonwealth College students only.