title: DNA replication origins: from sequence specificity to epigenetics.
abstract: Site-specific initiation of DNA replication is a conserved function in all organisms. In Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, DNA replication origins are sequence specific, but in multicellular organisms, origins are not so clearly defined. In this article, I present a model of origin specification by epigenetic mechanisms that allows the establishment of stable chromatin domains, which are characterized by autonomous replication. According to this model, origins of DNA replication help to establish domains of gene expression for the generation of cell diversity.
authors.affiliation: Marcel Méchali is at the Institute of Human Genetics, CNRS, Genome Dynamics and Development, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396 Montpellier, France. mechali@igh.cnrs.fr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Méchali
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D018741:Replication Origin / Q000235:genetics*; D012093:Replicon / Q000235:genetics; D015003:Yeasts / Q000235:genetics