Epigenetics - Non-genetic Inheritance and its Medical Aspects

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2024-2025

Topic

Contribution of environmentally induced molecular signals to disease development is an interesting and actual question of molecular epidemiology. Epigenetics can significantly contribute to this area by studying the effect of environmental factors on gene regulation causing phenotypically inherited changes. It can present a novel approach in the characterization of the association between exposure, genes and disease development. The course tries to familiarize the students with the theoretical background and research directions of epigenetics, including the most recent clinical and preventive aspects through the presentation of peer-reviewed publications.

Lectures

• 1. The concept, history and theoretical background of Epigenetics (EpiTwin Project) - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 2. The heritability of environmental effects (nutrition, physical activity and stress) and the question of epigenetic responsibility - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 3. Mechanisms of DNA-methylation and the link between external world and individual - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 4. The Human Epigenom Project - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 5. Mechanisms of histone modifications and chromatin organisation - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 6. How does the epigenom inherite? - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 7. Association between diet and Epigenetics, folate intake, DNA methylation and the possible epigenetic and intrauterin effects of maternal nutrition - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 8. Nutriepigenetics - the impacts on the metabolic syndrome - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 9. The role of Epigenetics in obesity and the impacts on the offspring - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 10. Epigenomic-Wide Association Studies (EWAS) in human obesity - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 11. Epigenetic mechanisms in the development of cardiovascular diseases - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 12. Impacts on the vascular functions - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 13. The role of Epigenetics in cancer diagnostics and therapy - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 14. Dietary factors, epigenetics and cancer - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 15. Epigenetic aspects of allergy and human infectious diseases - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 16. Association between lifelong pattern of Epigenetics, disease-risk and ageing - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 17. Regulatory non-coding RNAs (siRNAs, microRNAs, piRNAs) and the therapeutical application of exogenous siRNAs, the possible side-effects - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 18. The microRNA regulation - the link between RNA-interference and Epigenetics - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 19. Clinical aspects of Epigenetics - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 20. Preventive aspects of Epigenetics - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 21. Research methods in Epigenetics - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 22. Investigating the epigenome - Methylation DNA (MeDIP) and chromatin immunprecipitation (ChIP) technique - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 23. DNA editing with RNAs (CRISPR systems) - Bérczi Bálint Dániel
• 24. The future perspectives of personalized medicine - Bérczi Bálint Dániel

Practices

Seminars

Reading material

Obligatory literature

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Literature developed by the Department

Educational material will be uploaded on Neptun.

Notes

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Recommended literature

Trygve Tollefsbol (ed.): Handbook of Epigenetics - The New Molecular and Medical Genetics, ACADEMIC PRESS, ISBN: 978-0-12-375709-8

Igor Kovalchuk, Ph.D., MD, Olga Kovalchuk, Ph.D., MD: Epigenetics in Health and Disease, 1st edition, FT Press Science, ISBN-10: 013259708X

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

Absences should not exceed 25% (4x45 min).

Mid-term exams

A simple choice test has to be done on the last lecture.

Making up for missed classes

There are no make-up classes.

Exam topics/questions

Neptun

Examiners

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars