The term “Epigenetics” was first introduced by Conrad H. Waddington (1905–1975) in 1942 [1] to describe events that were found not to be congruent with the genetic principles. Today, epigenetic changes concern changes in the structure of DNA resulting from DNA modifications. Contrary to DNA mutations, epigenetic changes are reversible and occur fast.
Apart from the programmed epigenetic regulation that ensures cell differentiation, epigenetic regulation can be influenced by the environment, emphasizing the importance to investigate in depth epigenetic mechanisms (Fig.1). Especially in terms of climate change, which results in changes of temperature, acidity, and salinity in the marine milieu, epigenetics may shed light on the mechanism of phenotypic response triggered by environmental signals.Continue reading