Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2023 July 29

= July 29 =

Epigenetic reprogramming
Is it possible to perform epigenetic reprogramming on cells as a private person? 2A02:8071:60A0:92E0:9B9B:C02B:F5CC:22D1 (talk) 11:52, 29 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Epigenetics? How much money ya got? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:23, 29 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Not in any way that could be targeted or healthy. Epigenetic changes are typically induced by stress. Abductive  (reasoning) 15:31, 29 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Eh, I think that's a little misleading as a generalization. Epigenetic effects are a part of the normal, everyday functioning of one's cellular and systems physiology level of functioning, occurring constantly, and not always as a result of catalysts that one would normally classify as 'stress' (in either the clinical or idiomatic senses).  Every new memory or perspective you form (to take just the most obvious example from one organ) is the result of epigenetic effects. SnowRise let's rap 18:35, 29 July 2023 (UTC)
 * What does money have to do with it? I think you might be confusing gene editing with gene expression. Sn<b style="color:#99d5fe;">o</b><b style="color:#b2dffe;">w</b><b style="color:#B27EB2;">Rise</b><b style="color:#d4143a"> let's rap</b> 18:35, 29 July 2023 (UTC)
 * OP, I'm not entirely certain about what you mean by "reprogramming".  Epigenetics is a term which roughly defines the subject of how the various genes collectively comprising an individual's genome are expressed; specifically the interplay between environmental/extrinsic factors, the organism's coded genetics, and the various biochemical mechanisms which mediate the influences of the former upon the latter, triggering triggering RNA and protein activity causing cellular (and ultimately broader physiological) effects, causing certain traits to turn on or off or change the mode of their expression.  That's a really simplified version of a very complex set of biophysical pathways, but suffices to grapple with your question.  To wit:


 * If by "reprogramming" you mean causing changes in the expression within a cell, then yes, not only is that possible, it inevitably happening every second of your life.


 * If you mean using gene therapy or other genetic engineering (altering DNA is some other artificial/biomedical fashion), then that is a very complex question and the answer depends on whether you are asking if it is practically feasible to do so as an individual or if it is regulatorily permitted, each of which would require paragraphs here to just summarize the answer (but the gist of which would be "generally speaking: no, not really", in both cases). Let me know if one of those was the sense in which you intended your question and I can elaborate further, with some additional wikilinks and sources. However, crucially, this would not be accurately described as "epigenetic reprogramming" but just "genetic manipulation", since it would be the underlying genes altered (though this would of course have knock on effects for the epigenetic functions that rely on that underlying genetic code).


 * Finally, if you mean using epigenetic expression to create a kind of feedback loop which actually impacts DNA and genetics, that is technically a thing that happens, since DNA does to some extent get altered during the normal physiological functioning of an organism as complex as a human over a lifetime, and you can, in a sense, say that any expression of a gene/resulting expression of trait/physiological activity is going to have consequences in this regard. But this is really unpredictable and cannot really be leveraged for specific, tailored results--and if one were at the stage of scientific development where the could manipulate DNA in this way, their knowledge of genetics and biochemistry would be so advanced and detailed, they would essentially already be capable of tailoring their genetics and resulting gene expression with very few intrinsic limitations through more direct means, as an almost per se matter. <b style="color:#19a0fd;">S</b><b style="color:#66c0fd">n</b><b style="color:#99d5fe;">o</b><b style="color:#b2dffe;">w</b><b style="color:#B27EB2;">Rise</b><b style="color:#d4143a"> let's rap</b> 18:35, 29 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I suspect the OP is referring to something like Epigenome editing. I say like, since I'm not sure the OP really understands the Epigenome. I don't know if this applies to the OP but IMO there's a tendency to think of it as a simple additional largely universal to the individual code like the genome, perhaps only being aware of one or two parts of what can be called the epigenome perhaps specifically DNA methylation with being aware of the complexity. Nil Einne (talk) 07:56, 30 July 2023 (UTC)


 * You may very well be right as to what the OP was roughly inquiring about. But there's no doubt that you're right as to the more general point. Epigenetics does include many discrete (and sometimes quite well quantified and qualified) biophysical mechansism and pathways, but ultimately it's a topic best understood through the lens of systems biology if ever there was one.  However, for those coming to the topic new and/or with a superficial understanding of those discrete parts, many will just intuit epigenetics as being mostly about changes to the epigenome itself, and specifically with regard to intergenerationally persistent phenomena.  But changes to heritable traits are a truly tiny fraction of the implications of how epigenes and epigenetic mechanics operate.  Hopefully what I'm saying makes sense to any readers here: this is one of those topics where I sometimes feel like I may be spewing inscrutable word salad to those who don't already understand the point I am trying to make. <b style="color:#19a0fd;">S</b><b style="color:#66c0fd">n</b><b style="color:#99d5fe;">o</b><b style="color:#b2dffe;">w</b><b style="color:#B27EB2;">Rise</b><b style="color:#d4143a"> let's rap</b> 02:16, 31 July 2023 (UTC)