Epistasis vs. Epigenetics — What's the Difference?

Epistasis is a phenomenon in genetics in which the effect of a gene mutation is dependent on the presence or absence of mutations in one or more other genes, respectively termed modifier genes. In other words, the effect of the mutation is dependent on the genetic background in which it appears.

In biology, epigenetics is the study of heritable phenotype changes that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence. The Greek prefix epi- (ἐπι- "over, outside of, around") in epigenetics implies features that are "on top of" or "in addition to" the traditional genetic basis for inheritance.

An interaction between nonallelic genes in which the genotype at one locus affects the expression of alleles at another locus.

The study of heritable changes in gene expression that are caused by factors such as DNA methylation rather than by a change in the sequence of base pairs in DNA itself.

A film that forms over the surface of a urine specimen.

(genetics) The study of the processes involved in the genetic development of an organism, especially the activation and deactivation of genes.

The suppression of a bodily discharge or secretion.

(genetics) The study of heritable changes caused by the activation and deactivation of genes without any change in DNA sequence.

(genetics) The modification of the expression of a gene by another unrelated one.

The suppression of a gene by the effect of an unrelated gene