Code, Context, and Epigenetic Catalysis in Gene Expression

Authors:
Rodrick Wallace;Deborah Wallace
Affiliations:
The New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York 10027;Consumers Union,
Venue:
Transactions on Computational Systems Biology XI
Year:
2009

Citing 0
Cited 2

Cultural epigenetics: on the heritability of complex diseases

Transactions on computational systems biology XIII
Metabolic constraints on the evolution of genetic codes: did multiple preaerobic' ecosystem transitions entrain richer dialects via serial endosymbiosis?

Transactions on Computational Systems Biology XIV

Quantified Score

Hi-index	0.00

Visualization

Abstract

We examine a class of probability models describing how epigenetic context affects gene expression and organismal development, using the asymptotic limit theorems of information theory in a highly formal manner. Taking classic results on spontaneous symmetry breaking abducted from statistical physics in groupoid, rather than group, circumstances, the work suggests that epigenetic information sources act as analogs to a tunable catalyst, directing development into different characteristic pathways according to the structure of external signals. The results have significant implications for epigenetic epidemiology, in particular for understanding how environmental stressors, in a large sense, can induce a broad spectrum of developmental disorders in humans.