Cells differentiate and progress through development guided by a dynamic chromatin
landscape that mediates gene expression programmes. During development, mammalian …

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

Maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) is essential for the formation of a new individual, but is
still poorly understood despite recent progress in analysis of gene expression and DNA …

Abstract H3K9me3-dependent heterochromatin is a major barrier of cell fate changes that
must be reprogrammed after fertilization. However, the molecular details of these events are …

Mammalian fertilization begins with the fusion of two specialized gametes, followed by major
epigenetic remodeling leading to the formation of a totipotent embryo. During the …

DNA methylation is among the best studied epigenetic modifications and is essential to
mammalian development. Although the methylation status of most CpG dinucleotides in the …

Background The early life environment experienced by an individual in utero and during the
neonatal period is a major factor in shaping later life disease risk-including susceptibility to …

Compacted, transcriptionally repressed chromatin, referred to as heterochromatin,
represents a major fraction of the higher eukaryotic genome and exerts pivotal functions of …

Methylation of DNA is an essential epigenetic control mechanism in mammals. During
embryonic development, cells are directed toward their future lineages, and DNA …

BACKGROUND A defining feature of sexual reproduction is the transmission of genomic
information from both parents to the offspring. There is now compelling evidence that the …