Mechanisms of DNA methylation and demethylation in mammals.
Cytosine methylation is an epigenetically propagated DNA modification that can modify how the DNA molecule is recognized and expressed. DNA methylation undergoes extensive reprogramming during mammalian embryogenesis and is directly linked to the regulation of pluripotency and cellular identity. Studying its regulation is also important for a better understanding of the many diseases that show epigenetic deregulations, in particular, cancer. In the recent years, a lot of progress has been made to characterize the profiles of DNA methylation at the genome level, which revealed that patterns of DNA methylation are highly dynamic between cell types. Here, we discuss the importance of DNA methylation for genome regulation and the mechanisms that remodel the DNA methylome during mammalian development, in particular the involvement of the rediscovered modified base 5-hydroxymethylcytosine.
UMR 7242, Biotechnology and Cell Signalling, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, ESBS, Bd Sébastien Brant, BP 10413, 67412 Illkirch Cedex, France.
Ghislain
G
Auclair
Michael
M
Weber
D000818:Animals; D019175:DNA Methylation; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development