Life SciencesBiologyGeneticsChromatin BiologyChromatin StructureEpigeneticsDevelopmental EpigeneticsDevelopmental EpigenomicsEpigenetic Regulation In DevelopmentCellular MemoryDevelopmental Cell StatesEpigenetic ControlEpigenetic MaintenanceEpigenetic MemoryEpigenetic Regulation
The cells in a multicellular organism have nominally identical DNA sequences (and therefore the same genetic instruction sets), yet maintain different terminal phenotypes. This nongenetic cellular memory, which records developmental and environmental cues (and alternative cell states in unicellular organisms), is the basis of epi-(above)–genetics.