Open AccessComparative epigenomics: defining and utilizing epigenomic variations across species, time‐course, and individuals
Author(s) -
Xiao Shu,
Cao Xiaoyi,
Zhong Sheng
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: systems biology and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.087
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1939-005X
pISSN - 1939-5094
DOI - 10.1002/wsbm.1274
Subject(s) - epigenomics , computational biology , epigenetics , genomics , computer science , genome , biology , profiling (computer programming) , data science , genetics , dna methylation , gene , gene expression , operating system
Epigenomic profiling, by revealing genome‐wide distributions of epigenetic modifications, generated a large amount of structural information about the chromosomes. Epigenomic analysis has quickly become a big data science, posing tremendous challenges on its translation into knowledge. To meet this challenge, comparative analysis of epigenomes, dubbed comparative epigenomics , has emerged as an active research area. Here, we summarize the recent developments in comparative epigenomic analyses into three major directions, namely the comparisons across species, the time‐course of a biological process, and individuals. We review the main ideas, methods, and findings in each direction, and discuss the implications to understanding the regulatory functions of the genomes. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2014, 6:345–352. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1274 This article is categorized under: Analytical and Computational Methods > Analytical Methods Laboratory Methods and Technologies > Genetic/Genomic Methods