Epigenetic Synthesis

Epigenetics is the modification of the genome to regulate gene expression. This process is achieved through a variety of different mechanisms including but not limited to, chromatin condensation, acetylation modification, and methylation modification. Gene expression can also be altered through a number of non-epigenetic mechanisms, such as environmental factors, like temperature, and the introduction of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) into the environment.
The level of chromatin condensation at specific points in DNA can determine whether or not certain genes are transcribed. Genes within highly condensed chromatin will be harder to access, and therefore will not be expressed while loosely packed DNA has a higher probability of being