Program Structure

Module 1: Epigenetics — The Language Above DNA

• Genetics vs epigenetics: what changes and what stays constant.
• Cell identity: how the same genome produces different cell types.
• Epigenetic inheritance and stability: what is heritable vs reversible.
• Key concept: chromatin as a dynamic regulator of transcription.

Module 2: Chromatin Architecture & Nucleosome Basics

• DNA packaging: nucleosomes, histones, and chromatin states.
• Euchromatin vs heterochromatin: accessibility and gene activity.
• Enhancers, promoters, silencers: regulatory elements and accessibility.
• 3D genome concept: looping and long-range regulation (overview).

Module 3: DNA Methylation and Gene Silencing

• What DNA methylation is (CpG sites) and how it affects transcription.
• DNMTs and demethylation concepts (writers/erasers).
• Imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation (key examples).
• Methylation changes in cancer and aging (overview).

Module 4: Histone Modifications — Writers, Readers, Erasers

• Common histone marks: acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation (overview).
• How histone acetylation opens chromatin and supports transcription.
• Activating vs repressive marks and “histone code” thinking.
• Epigenetic enzymes as drug targets (HDAC inhibitors, etc. overview).

Module 5: Chromatin Remodeling Complexes

• What remodeling complexes do: sliding, ejecting, or restructuring nucleosomes.
• SWI/SNF concept and cancer links (overview).
• Accessibility and transcription factor binding: why remodeling is critical.
• Interplay with histone marks and DNA methylation.

Module 6: Non-Coding RNAs in Epigenetic Regulation

• miRNAs, lncRNAs, and their roles in gene regulation.
• How lncRNAs guide chromatin modifiers to specific genomic regions (concept).
• RNA-mediated silencing and chromatin state changes (overview).
• Clinical relevance: non-coding RNAs as biomarkers (overview).

Module 7: Epigenetics in Development, Immunity & Disease

• Developmental epigenetics: differentiation and lineage commitment.
• Immune cell programming: activation, tolerance, and memory (overview).
• Cancer epigenetics: tumor suppressor silencing, enhancer hijacking.
• Neuroepigenetics and metabolic epigenetics: environment–gene regulation links.

Module 8: Epigenetic Tools & Methods (Concept + Workflow View)

• Wet-lab methods overview: bisulfite conversion, ChIP concept, ATAC concept.
• Sequencing outputs: methylation maps, histone mark peaks, accessibility profiles.
• Experimental design basics: controls, replicates, tissue specificity.
• How to interpret datasets responsibly: confounders and batch effects.

Module 9: Epigenetic Therapeutics & Future Directions

• Why epigenetic changes are attractive therapeutic targets (reversible nature).
• Epigenetic drugs overview: DNMT inhibitors, HDAC inhibitors, emerging targets.
• Precision epigenome editing (overview): CRISPR-based epigenetic modulation concept.
• Where the field is going: single-cell epigenomics and multi-omics integration (overview).

Final Project

• Create an Epigenetic Regulation Map or Epigenetics Study Plan for a chosen gene/pathway.
• Include: hypothesized regulatory marks, mechanism summary, experiment/analysis approach, and interpretation plan.
• Example projects: methylation-mediated silencing of a tumor suppressor, histone mark changes during differentiation, epigenetic regulation of inflammatory genes, enhancer regulation in cancer.