摘要：

科学的发展孕育着突破，表遗传学研究推动着新一轮的遗传学的发展。表遗传学是研究没有DNA序列变化的、可遗传的表达改变。表遗传学不仅对医学和农业有重要的实践意义，而且还提供了理解遗传和进化的新观点。研究表明，人类基因组含有两类遗传信息，遗传学信息提供了合成生命所必需蛋白质的模板，而表遗传学信息提供了何时、何地和怎样地应用遗传学信息的指令；遗传学和表遗传学的关系有如“阴阳”，它们既相区别又协同参与调节生命活动。同时还讨论了基因的概念、进化和epigenetics的中文译名等问题。表遗传学研究应引起国内学术界的关注。Abstract: Scientific development is pregnant with a breakthrough, epigenetic studies are pushing the genetics forward. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression that occurs without a change in DNA sequence. Epigenetics not only has practical significance for medicine and agriculture, but also provides new views on understanding heredity and evolution. Human genome contains information in two forms: the genetic information provides the blueprint for the manufacture of all the proteins necessary to create a living thing while the epigenetic information provides instructions on how, where, and when the genetic information should be used. The interrelationship of genetics and epigenetics is like a yin-yan, they are different from each other, and cooperatively take part in regulation of a variety of living activities. In this paper concept of gene and problems of evolution has been also discussed according to epigenetic viewpoints.