What term describes the study of changes in gene expression rather than changes in the genetic code?

The term that specifically describes the study of changes in gene expression without alterations in the underlying genetic code is epigenetics. This field examines how environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and other influences can modify gene activity and expression through mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and RNA-associated silencing. These changes can affect how genes are turned on and off, ultimately impacting cellular function and can even be passed down to future generations without changing the DNA sequence itself.

In contrast, genomics focuses broadly on the complete set of genes (the genome), their structure, function, and mapping, but it does not specifically deal with changes in gene expression. Proteomics involves the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their functions and structures, which is distinct from gene expression regulation. Transcriptomics looks at the transcriptome, which includes all RNA molecules transcribed from genes, but it does not capture the regulatory influences of epigenetics that dictate when and how genes are expressed. Thus, epigenetics is the most accurate term for the study of gene expression changes independent of genetic code alterations.