When there is a well-established segment of heterochromatin on an interphase chromosome, there is usually a special barrier sequ
ence that prevents the heterochromatin from expanding along the entire chromosome. Gene A, which is normally expressed, has been moved by DNA recombination near an area of heterochromatin. None of the daughter cells produced after this recombination event express gene A, even though its DNA sequence is unchanged. What is the best way to describe what has happened to the function of gene A in these cells?
Epigenetic inheritance refers to characteristics of uni and multicellular organisms that are stable during the various cell divisions but do not involve changes in the organism's DNA sequence, similar to what happened with the cells shown in the above question regarding gene A. More simply, epigenetic inheritance is about parent-to-child experiences that do not occur through DNA.
