T2DM: Why epigenetics?

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (t2dm) is a metabolic disorder influenced by interactions between genetic and environmental factors. epigenetics conveys specific environmental influences into phenotypic traits through a variety of mechanisms that are often installed in early life,then persist in differentiated tissues with the power to modulate the expression of many genes,although undergoing time-dependent alterations. there is still no evidence that epigenetics contributes significantly to the causes or transmission of t2dm from one generation to another,thus,to the current environment-driven epidemics,but it has become so likely,as pointed out in this paper,that one can expect an efflorescence of epigenetic knowledge about t2dm in times to come. © 2011 delphine fradin and pierre bougnères.