Epigenetic Reprogramming in Plant and Animal Development

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 330; no. 6004; pp. 622 - 627
• Main Authors: Feng, Suhua, Jacobsen, Steven E, Reik, Wolf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 29.10.2010; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Analogies; Angiospermae; animal development; Animals; Arabidopsis - embryology; Arabidopsis - genetics; Cellular biology; Cellular Reprogramming; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Developmental biology; DNA; DNA Methylation; DNA repair; DNA Transposable Elements; Embryo, Mammalian - metabolism; Embryo, Mammalian - physiology; Embryo, Nonmammalian - metabolism; Embryo, Nonmammalian - physiology; Embryonic Development; Epigenesis, Genetic; Epigenetics; Female; Flowering; Flowering plants; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Gene Silencing; genome; Genomes; Genomic Imprinting; Genomics; Germ cells; Germ Cells - growth & development; Germ Cells - metabolism; Histones; Histones - metabolism; Male; Mammals; Mammals - embryology; Mammals - genetics; Methylation; Mother cells; Organisms; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; REVIEWS; RNA; Somatic cells; Stem cells; Strategy; totipotency; Transposons

Epigenetic modifications of the genome are generally stable in somatic cells of multicellular organisms. In germ cells and early embryos, however, epigenetic reprogramming occurs on a genome-wide scale, which includes demethylation of DNA and remodeling of histones and their modifications. The mecha...