Epigenetics is the study of how gene activity is controlled in a heritable manner without altering the DNA sequence. Epigenetic changes refer to chemical modifications to DNA that can turn genes on or off, or to histone modifications that mark the chromatin for transcriptional instructions. A unit of chromatin is known as a nucleosome, which consists of eight histone subunits bound to DNA. Epigenetic inheritance refers to the transfer of histones from parental DNA to daughter DNAs while coupled to DNA replication and is known to be a key factor in cancer development. The aim of this focused program is to bring together diverse participants interested in this broad topic to share the latest in their respective subfields. We hope to bring together scientists who are interested in epigenetics, DNA replication, transcription and cancer biology with a focus on chromatin biology.
