 Within eukaryotes , there exist structural features of chromatin that influence the transcription of genes , often in the form of modifications to DNA and chromatin that are stably inherited by daughter cells . These features are called " epigenetic " because they exist " on top " of the DNA sequence and retain inheritance from one cell generation to the next . Because of epigenetic features , different cell types grown within the same medium can retain very different properties . Although epigenetic features are generally dynamic over the course of development , some , like the phenomenon of paramutation , have multigenerational inheritance and exist as rare exceptions to the general rule of DNA as the basis for inheritance . 
