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Epigenetic variation and cellular Darwinism

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The human genome contains large areas with hypervariable DNA methylation that are associated with deregulation of gene expression. This epigenetic variation may be necessary for differentiation, but it also provides a mechanism for Darwinian evolution at the cellular level that may underlie age-related diseases such as cancer.

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Figure 1: Epigenetic variation.

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  1. Jean-Pierre Issa is in the Department of Leukemia at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.,

    Jean-Pierre Issa

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  1. Jean-Pierre Issa
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Correspondence to Jean-Pierre Issa.

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Issa, JP. Epigenetic variation and cellular Darwinism. Nat Genet 43, 724–726 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.897

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