epigenetic

epi·ge·net·ic | \ ˌe-pə-jə-ˈne-tik

\

Definition of epigenetic

1a : of, relating to, or produced by the chain of developmental processes in epigenesis that lead from genotype to phenotype after the initial action of the genes

b : relating to, being, or involving changes in gene function that do not involve changes in DNA sequence epigenetic inheritance

2 of a deposit or structure : formed after the laying down of the enclosing rock

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Examples of epigenetic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the next year went further by showing that epigenetic changes are responsible for this training. — Quanta Magazine, "‘Trained Immunity’ Offers Hope in Fight Against Coronavirus," 14 Sep. 2020 Happily, the epigenetic clock calculation goes in his favor. — Virginia Morell, Science | AAAS, "Here’s a better way to convert dog years to human years, scientists say," 15 Nov. 2019 For about a year, Levine has been working with Elysium Health to create Index, an at-home test that evaluates over 100,000 epigenetic biomarkers on a person’s DNA. — Nicole Saporita, Good Housekeeping, "How Old Are You Really? What New Research Says About Your Biological Age," 18 Feb. 2020 When men get older, the epigenetic patterns in their sperm change. — Judith Finlayson, chicagotribune.com, "Men’s lifestyles can affect babies’ health," 27 Nov. 2019 Then, the dog's epigenetic clock slows down as the dog ages, and begins to match up with humans again in its later years. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Calculate Your Dog’s Age With This New, Improved Formula," 20 Nov. 2019 Verdin likened the proteomic clock to the epigenetic clock, an age predictor based on chemical tags along a person’s DNA that influence gene expression. — Andrew Joseph, STAT, "Scientists develop a ‘clock’ that can measure biological age based on blood proteins," 5 Dec. 2019 This process is known as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. — Judith Finlayson, chicagotribune.com, "Men’s lifestyles can affect babies’ health," 27 Nov. 2019 At the Salk Institute for Genetic Expression, in La Jolla, California, scientists tweaked epigenetic markers in live mice with progeria, a disease of premature aging, to revert adult cells back into their embryonic state. — Marcia Desanctis, Vogue, "Can the Genes Responsible for Aging Be Altered by a Face Cream? These Skin-Care Companies Say Yes," 21 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epigenetic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

2 Oct 2020

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“Epigenetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epigenetic. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.

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More Definitions for epigenetic

epigenetic

adjective

epi·ge·net·ic | \ -jə-ˈnet-ik

\

Medical Definition of epigenetic

1 : of, relating to, or produced by epigenesis the epigenetic nature of vertebrate development

2 : relating to, being, or involving a modification in gene expression that is independent of the DNA sequence of a gene epigenetic carcinogenesis epigenetic inheritance Methylation is one of many epigenetic signals—chemical changes to DNA and its associated proteins—that modify gene activity without altering the genetic information itself.— Tina Hesman Saey, Science News, 14 Feb. 2009