ABSTRACT
Osteoporosis, which is characterised by low bone mass, poor bone structure and an increased risk of fracture, has been suggested to result in part from impaired osteoblast cell proliferation, differentiation or function in early development. Bone formation is dependent upon mesenchymal stem cells which can differentiate to form osteoblasts. The processes of developmental plasticity—by which a single genotype may give rise to several different phenotypes in response to the prevailing environmental milieu—is ubiquitous in the natural world. Post-translational histone modifications and the accompanying histone-modifying enzymes form a major part of the epigenetic regulation of genes. DNA is wrapped around an octamer of four different histone molecules are H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 to form a nucleosome, the basic unit of chromatin. Demonstration of a role for altered epigenetic regulation of genes in the development of noncommunicable diseases together with the identification of potential epigenetic biomarkers of future disease risk raises the possibility of preventive medicine.
