Special Issue: "Environmentally Induced Epigenetic Variation During Germ Cell And Embryo Development: A Programming Perspective" Preface

The modern definition of Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene function, and in turn in phenotypes, that are not caused by genetic alterations. It comprises DNA methylation, histone modifications and non coding RNAs that collectively compose the "epigenome" and orchestrates numerous essential regulatory mechanisms during mammalian development, including cell and tissue differentiation, genomic imprinting and X chromosome inactivation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.