Final answer:
The false statement regarding the epigenetic modification of the reln gene is that mutation of the DNA sequence is an epigenetic change. Epigenetic changes, like histone acetylation, affect gene expression without altering the DNA sequence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question concerns epigenetic modifications of the reln gene, which encodes for the protein reelin. In the context of epigenetic changes, a false statement would be one that contradicts established facts about how epigenetic processes work. Among the statements provided, the one regarding a direct mutation of the DNA sequence being an epigenetic change is false; epigenetic changes involve modifications such as methylation or histone acetylation that do not alter the actual DNA sequence but can influence gene expression. Such modifications include the remodeling of chromatin, like the addition or removal of nucleosomes, which can make the DNA more or less accessible to the transcription machinery. It should also be noted that while histone acetylation generally results in the relaxation of chromatin structure, thereby allowing gene expression, epigenetic changes are not always heritable and do not exclusively act to allow gene expression.