Much has been learned since the early 1960s about histone post-translational modifications
(PTMs) and how they affect DNA-templated processes at the molecular level. This …

Epigenetic research has accelerated rapidly in the twenty-first century, generating justified
excitement and hope, but also a degree of hype. Here we review how the field has evolved …

Aberrant metabolism is the root cause of several serious health issues, creating a huge
burden to health and leading to diminished life expectancy. A dysregulated metabolism …

Polycomb (PcG) and Trithorax (TrxG) group proteins are evolutionarily conserved chromatin-
modifying factors originally identified as part of an epigenetic cellular memory system that …

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and their associated PIWI clade Argonaute proteins
constitute the core of the piRNA pathway. In gonadal cells, this conserved pathway is crucial …

Following fertilization, the two specified gametes must unite to create an entirely new
organism. The genome is initially transcriptionally quiescent, allowing the zygote to be …

The development of animal embryos is initially directed by maternal gene products. Then,
during the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT), developmental control is handed to the …

The idea that epigenetic determinants such as DNA methylation, histone modifications or
RNA can be passed to the next generation through meiotic products (gametes) is long …

A remarkable epigenetic remodelling process occurs shortly after fertilization, which restores
totipotency to the zygote. This involves global DNA demethylation, chromatin remodelling …

Epigenome reprogramming after fertilization enables transcriptionally quiescent maternal
and paternal chromatin to acquire a permissive state for subsequent zygotic genome …