Heritable Nongenetic Information That is Independent of DNA and That Governs Organismal Development, Tissue Regeneration, and Tumor Architecture

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Nguyen, David H, Gallegos, Daniel
Format: Preprint
Published: 2021
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_version_ 1866916665227214848
author Nguyen, David H
Gallegos, Daniel
author_facet Nguyen, David H
Gallegos, Daniel
contents Numerous studies of the tumor microenvironment, interspecies xenografting, and limb regeneration suggest the existence of a Tissue Spatial Code (TSC) that controls tissue structure in a quasi-epigenetic fashion. The term 'epigenetic' is an inadequate label for the concept that encompasses the TSC, because this information does not act upon DNA or chromatin via post-translational modifications (i.e. DNA methylation, histone acetylation). A broader term is needed to capture the diversity of three-dimensional (3D) spatial codes in biology. One such term is Heritable Nongenetic Information (HNI, pronounced 'honey'), which encompasses the TSC. The term 'heritable' is appropriate, because this information is passed onto offspring, otherwise it would have disappeared during evolution. Another reason for the heritability of HNI is that the spatial information observed in tissues is not reducible to the laws of physics, meaning structures like epithelial tubes or neural circuits do not spontaneously form in an aqueous solution; pre-existing physiological information in the microenvironment is necessary. In summary, HNI is defined as: heritable, instructional information that affects molecular-, cellular-, tissue-, or organ-level function without having to post-translationally modify DNA or chromatin in order to be inherited.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2110_01731
institution arXiv
publishDate 2021
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spellingShingle Heritable Nongenetic Information That is Independent of DNA and That Governs Organismal Development, Tissue Regeneration, and Tumor Architecture
Nguyen, David H
Gallegos, Daniel
Tissues and Organs
Numerous studies of the tumor microenvironment, interspecies xenografting, and limb regeneration suggest the existence of a Tissue Spatial Code (TSC) that controls tissue structure in a quasi-epigenetic fashion. The term 'epigenetic' is an inadequate label for the concept that encompasses the TSC, because this information does not act upon DNA or chromatin via post-translational modifications (i.e. DNA methylation, histone acetylation). A broader term is needed to capture the diversity of three-dimensional (3D) spatial codes in biology. One such term is Heritable Nongenetic Information (HNI, pronounced 'honey'), which encompasses the TSC. The term 'heritable' is appropriate, because this information is passed onto offspring, otherwise it would have disappeared during evolution. Another reason for the heritability of HNI is that the spatial information observed in tissues is not reducible to the laws of physics, meaning structures like epithelial tubes or neural circuits do not spontaneously form in an aqueous solution; pre-existing physiological information in the microenvironment is necessary. In summary, HNI is defined as: heritable, instructional information that affects molecular-, cellular-, tissue-, or organ-level function without having to post-translationally modify DNA or chromatin in order to be inherited.
title Heritable Nongenetic Information That is Independent of DNA and That Governs Organismal Development, Tissue Regeneration, and Tumor Architecture
topic Tissues and Organs
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.01731