Epigenetics and sustainable animal production

About this programme

This course offers a comprehensive exploration of epigenetics and epigenomics, emphasising their crucial roles in shaping phenotypes throughout development. It provides an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression beyond DNA sequence, and how these mechanisms influence development, health, evolution, and adaptation. The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest. This course offers a comprehensive exploration of epigenetics and epigenomics, emphasising their crucial roles in shaping phenotypes throughout development. It provides an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression beyond DNA sequence, and how these mechanisms influence development, health, evolution, and adaptation. Students explore key areas such as behaviour, welfare, stress, and inflammation, gaining insight into how epigenetic regulation underpins these biological processes. The course contains core concepts, such as gene organization and its relationship to epigenetic regulation, principles and mechanisms of epigenetics, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, long non-coding RNAs, and small regulatory RNAs. The course also covers the role of epigenomics in governing chromatin structure and transcriptional regulation. The impact of environmental factors on phenotype development through epigenetic modifications, and the interplay between the genome and the epigenome in shaping biological outcomes is included. Stude