UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The latest episode of "Life From All Angles," a YouTube series from the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, features Penn State Plant Institute Director Sally Mackenzie and her groundbreaking research in the field of epigenetics.
Mackenzie’s work focuses on how environmental changes affect the way that genes are expressed, especially in plants. Mackenzie’s lab has pioneered new techniques for modifying plant progeny to enhance growth figures, increase plant resilience, and improve yield.
The new episode explores how her work, from the fundamental research that improves our understanding of epigenetics and the methylome to the commercialization of newly developed technologies, could help address real world challenges pertaining to agriculture and overall human health.
“When most people think of epigenetics, they think about the way genes are expressed, but more recently it’s become clear that there’s another feature of epigenetics,” said Mackenzie. “It isn’t just the way genes are expressed, but the way that expression is transmitted as a pattern to the next generation.”