HSS 2342 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Hyperglycemia, Epigenetics, Blood Sugar

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Health Sciences
• Course: HSS 2342
• Professor: Keir J Menzies

Document Summary

Heredity passing of traits to offspring. Nature: our genetic make up (inheritance) dictates health and disease: gene and protein expression epigenetics. Nurture: our lifestyle choices (environment) dictate health and disease. Epigenetics defi(cid:374)ed as (cid:862)a(cid:271)o(cid:448)e the ge(cid:374)o(cid:373)e(cid:863: study of heritable changes in gene function without change in the nucleotide sequence. How does this happen: a few examples, dna methylation, histone (cid:373)odifi(cid:272)atio(cid:374)s (these are (cid:374)ot the o(cid:374)l(cid:455) e(cid:454)a(cid:373)ples (cid:271)ut it"s important to appreciate that both dna or the histones that it wraps around can be modified). Agouti gene activated mouse and agouti gene silenced mouse are genetically identical mice: modulate expression of the agouti gene in offspring through enrichment of maternal diet with methyl rich supplements (i. e folic acid) The carbohydrate family consists of mono-, di-, and polysaccharides, all with different structures, functions, and properties. The digestion of these carbohydrates occurs to produce glucose, the primary fuel of the body. Blood glucose levels are tightly regulated to maintain constancy.