Chapter 17 - Epigenetic regulation of vascular development (microRNAs)

Abstract

The vast majority of cells in the human soma are genetically identical, and the genome of somatic cells is stable across the human lifespan. During evolution of species, most new mutations are either disadvantageous to the organism or neutral, not providing an advantage or a disadvantage, and are therefore not leading to their relative increase in the gene pool. Only a minority of new mutations are propagated in the following generations, by increasing the fitness of the affected organism and its progeny. Heritability is a measure of how well differences in people’s genes account for differences in their traits; an estimate of the heritability of a trait is specific to one population in one environment, and it can change over time as circumstances change. There are some conditions in which genetic changes are almost exclusively responsible for causing the condition. These are called genetic disorders or inherited diseases.