1. Non-Mendelian genetics
Gil McVean, Department of Statistics, Oxford

2. Genomic imprinting Parent-of-origin specific expression
Mammals, plants, insects

3. Paramutation Inherited interactions between homologous alleles
‘Weak’ alleles convert ‘Strong’ alleles

4. Maternal effects Maternally derived products in embryos
Leads to death of non-carrier offspring

5. Phenotypic buffering
HSP90 chaperone can ‘mask’ the deleterious effects of mutation
Block HSP90 > mutations ‘exposed’
Select for mutations
Exposed phenotype stable even with HSP90
Rutherford & Lindquist (1998)

6. Mechanisms of epigenetics
Methylation
Chromatin remodelling
Histone modification
RNA interference/interactions

7. Epigenetics and evolution
What selection pressures led to the origin of epigenetic systems?
Are epigenetically inherited characters important in evolution?