Figure 2.

Determinants of the epigenome. The epigenome is the consequence of the interaction between genomic variants and environmental influences, both external and internal (within the body or even within the cell). Aging itself is associated with some epigenomic changes including modifications of the methylation status of DNA. Epigenomic changes induce modifications of gene expression that may lead to disease's development. On the other hand, the changes in cell environment induced by the disease may modify the epigenetic marks. In addition, some epigenomic signatures depend on the cell lineage, which determines the pattern of gene expression characteristic of each cell type. Since the influence of these factors, other than the genome, varies across tissues, the epigenome is tissue and cell specific.