title: Reprogramming the methylome: erasing memory and creating diversity.
abstract: The inheritance of epigenetic marks, in particular DNA methylation, provides a molecular memory that ensures faithful commitment to transcriptional programs during mammalian development. Epigenetic reprogramming results in global hypomethylation of the genome together with a profound loss of memory, which underlies naive pluripotency. Such global reprogramming occurs in primordial germ cells, early embryos, and embryonic stem cells where reciprocal molecular links connect the methylation machinery to pluripotency. Priming for differentiation is initiated upon exit from pluripotency, and we propose that epigenetic mechanisms create diversity of transcriptional states, which help with symmetry breaking during cell fate decisions and lineage commitment.
authors.affiliation: Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, CB22 3AT, UK; Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: Heather J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, CB22 3AT, UK.
authors.forename: Timothy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hore
authors.affiliation: Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, CB22 3AT, UK; Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK; Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK. Electronic address: wolf.reik@babraham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Wolf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Reik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000235:genetics*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans