Epigenetics and PTSD

Epigenetics and PTSD
Andre Willers
13 Dec 2010

Synopsis:
Important , but transient , events are tacked onto DNA , but not into DNA .
These lessons are expressed through logic gates formed by activation/repression of genes :This forms the Histone Code . It also regulates transcription of short-term memory into long-term memory .
Methylation is only one of these methods. (See Annexure A)

Discussion
A traumatic memory (like Famine) for an individual can then be transcribed into a PTSD memory , but also into an Epigenetic memory affecting later generations of cells and children .

Ordinary memory works the same way , but with less emphasis .

Note the beautiful elegance of multiple usages for the same mechanism .

The switch and intensity for different usages is encoded into the same structure .
The Histone Code has 10 known modifications (see Addendum A) . From basic principles , only 4 are needed for primary data storage . The others are usage switches and intensity gauges . (Note the correlation with number of dimensions needed in String Theory – for the same reason)

Medium-term Structure , continuity and memory is conferred on the DNA by the Histone Code , which itself is of a different transience (time-span) than DNA . This makes the whole complex more stable , since mutual error-repair is (in theory) possible .

The DNA Code and the Histone Code are in mutual symbiosis .

Truly elegant .

Attack Points :
1 Coding
For this type of compression
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Unpacking and Packing Information" 19 Jul 2008
See para 3.1 and 3.2 below .

2 Methylation reduction :
2.1Propranolol:
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "BetaBlockers and Trauma memory" 30 Apr 2010
Extensively used .

2.2Comfort foods : theobromine (Chocolate)
Recent studies have indicated that about 6 gm of cacao mass per day reduces blood overpressure by about 46% . The indications are that it clears blood-vessel memory of stressor events (ie wiping an epigenetic memory) . De-methylation . .

Had a scare ?
Take two squares (about 7 gm) of 85% Cacao chocolate .
Maybe more is better ? Be a devil and take another two .

2.3 Alcohol
A proven method , with some undesirable side-effects .
Chocolate liqueurs , anyone ?

2.4 Other drugs work to some extent (see Wiki) , but without at least an outline of the function of the Histone Code , intervention has to proceed with some trepidation .

3 Bacteria
From Wiki :
"Histones are found in the nuclei of eukaryotic cells, and in certain Archaea, namely Euryarchaea, but not in bacteria. Archaeal histones may well resemble the evolutionary precursors to eukaryotic histones. Histone proteins are among the most highly conserved proteins in eukaryotes, emphasizing their important role in the biology of the nucleus"

Note that the above implies that bacteria can have no sense of identity , but swap genetic (ie DNA) material in all directions . As is observed . An offshoot expressing all the possibilities of life .

3.1 Thus , we can use the techniques discussed in
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "The Beauty of the Genetic Code" 22 Feb 2010

3.2 These have been refined for use in the Gulf Oil Spill .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Mexican Gulf Oils Spill" 10 Sep 2010

Archaea bacteria can be used to probe the Histone Code , then usable bits can be stitched or expressed .

Some intriguing corollaries :
1. Humans with no diabetesII and very good natural long-term memories should patent their skin bacteria and sell them .
2. Proven and benchmarked PTSD individuals will have a marketable commodity .
3. Genealogy will become really important . Many mental problems (like schizophrenia ) can be reclassified as Epigenetic disorders . It has been shown that the methylation can come equally from the male or female for at least three generations. Thus the patients can now blame their Great-grand parents , grand parents or parents . This should ease the load on the parents , as most of the others should be safely dead .
4. Future Genealogy : Equally , present living progenitors would be anxious to avoid future blame and law-suits that they are not the source of the epigenetic handicap . A lawyer's paradise . Contracts do not void gross negligence . An interesting time for large , inherited estates . And the State will want it's share of health costs , as well . The mind boggles .
5. Class Action Suits by victims of wars , famines and other mass-traumatic events will become commonplace . See Tobacco . This should be extremely interesting in the case of Global Warming .Eg :The descendants of the victims of the Ethiopia Famine (caused by European atmospheric pollution) will have a class-action against the EU for damages suffered due to epigenetic factors .
6. Very good long-term memories will become commonplace .
7. And so forth

If this is too big a shock to your system , take this chocolate pill .
Dr Gaia will see you soon .

Andre .

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Annexure A
From Wikipedia

Histone
Function
Compacting DNA strands
Histones act as spools around which DNA winds. This enables the compaction necessary to fit the large genomes of eukaryotes inside cell nuclei: the compacted molecule is 40,000 times shorter than an unpacked molecule.
Chromatin regulation
Histones undergo posttranslational modifications which alter their interaction with DNA and nuclear proteins. The H3 and H4 histones have long tails protruding from the nucleosome which can be covalently modified at several places. Modifications of the tail include methylation,acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination, SUMOylation, citrullination and ADP-ribosylation. The core of the histones H2A, H2B and H3 can also be modified. Combinations of modifications are thought to constitute a code, the so-called "histone code".[9][10] Histone modifications act in diverse biological processes such as gene regulation, DNA repair and chromosome condensation (mitosis).[citation needed]
The common nomenclature of histone modifications is:
§ The name of the histone (e.g. H3)
§ The single letter amino acid abbreviation (e.g. K for Lysine) and the amino acid position in the protein
§ The type of modification (Me: methyl, P: phosphate, Ac: acetyl, Ub: ubiquitin)
So H3K4me1 denotes the monomethylation of the 4th residue (a lysine) from the start (i.e., theN-terminal) of the H3 protein.

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Annexure B
From Wikipedia

Histone methylation
Histone methylation is the modification of certain amino acids in a histone protein by the addition of one, two, or three methyl groups. In the cell nucleus, DNA is wound around histones. Methylation and demethylation of histones turns the genes in DNA "on" and "off", respectively, either by loosening their tails, thus, allowing transcription factors and other proteins to access the DNA or by encompassing their tails around the DNA, thus, restricting access to the DNA.
Function
This modification alters the properties of the nucleosome and affects its interactions with other proteins.
§ Histone methylation is generally associated with transcriptional repression.
§ However, methylation of some lysine and arginine residues of histones results in transcriptional activation. Examples include methylation of lysine 4 of histone 3 (H3K4), and arginine (R) residues on H3 and H4.
Demethylation
For many years histone methylation was thought to be a permanent modification. Very recently two families of histone demethylating enzymes were discovered.
§ The first was Lysine Specific Demethylase 1 (LSD1) which is an flavin-dependentmonoamine oxidase which can demethylate mono- and di-methylated lysines, specifically histone 3, lysines 4 and 9 (H3K4 and H3K9). This enzyme cannot demethylate tri-methylated lysines and for a short while it was thought that tri-methylated lysines may indeed be permanent modifications.
§ In late 2005 the Jumonji domain-containing (JmjC) histone demethylases were discovered which are able to demethylate mono-, di-, or tri-methylated lysines thereby disproving the theory that histone methylation is permanent once and for all. Although this conclusion has since come into question.[1] Two specific JmjC histone demethylases are PHF8 andKIAA1718.
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