ABSTRACT
Until recently, in clinical genetics, epigenetics was a minor field, of which two unusual genetic phenomena (genomic imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation (XCI)) were the main aspects under investigation. Based on the findings related to these phenomena, epigenetic disorders were considered to be very rare. However, as epigenetics has become more popular, it has developed into a huge research field that extends beyond genetics, encompassing not only biology and medicine, but also nutrition, education, health and social sciences. It now appears that epigenetics bridges the two major disease-causing factors (environmental and genetic) in medicine. Therefore, it is time to review epigenetics in the light of recent findings.
