Search

Déborah Bourc’his and colleagues report that mouse embryos deficient for Liz (long isoform of Zdbf2) develop normally but fail to activate Zdbf2 in the postnatal brain and show growth reduction. These data suggest that transcription during an early embryonic stage may program a stable epigenetic state with later physiological consequences.

DNA methylation in mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs) is restricted to transposable elements, but how this unique DNA methylome is established is poorly understood. Here, the authors identify UHRF2 as a factor required for the selective DNA methylation at transposable elements in PGCs.

By probing the epigenome in differentiating DNA methylation-free murine ESCs, the authors uncover a subset of germline and neural enhancers sensitive to DNA methylation. Failure to decommission these elements leads to biased adoption of these fates over other lineages.

In the male germline, DNMT3C methylates retrotransposons whereas DNMT3A globally methylates the genome and regulates spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) plasticity. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis shows that Dnmt3A mutant SSCs self-renew but do not differentiate.

A CRISPR screen in mouse embryonic stem cells shows that transcripts derived from endogenous retroviruses are destabilized by m⁶A RNA methylation.

Here, the authors map X-chromosome activity during female mouse germ cell reprogramming, revealing gradual, region-specific gene reactivation. Some genes resist reactivation, retaining epigenetic memory, offering insights into female germline epigenetics.

The Microrchidia (Morc) family of GHKL ATPases are important repressors of transposons and other DNA-methylated and silent genes in A. thaliana. Here, the authors show that MORC1 is responsible for repression and methylation of specific classes of transposons in the mouse male germline.

Metastable epialleles refer to loci with variable methylation states among individuals without underlying genetic differences. Although these loci have generally been assumed to be vulnerable to environmental influence, a new study reports their remarkable metastable epigenetic robustness toward a range of physiological, chemical and dietary disruptions in mammals.

The transition from a fertilized egg to a pluripotent and transcriptionally independent embryo requires multi-layered chromatin regulation. A study now provides simultaneous profiling of chromatin accessibility and DNA methylation in human preimplantation embryos at single-cell resolution.

Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) plays critical roles in transcriptional silencing during development. Here the authors identify EZHIP as a cofactor of PRC2 expressed predominantly in the gonads, finding that EZHIP limits the enzymatic activity of PRC2 in germ cells in mice.

Human embryos that develop in the presence of chromosomes solely of paternal origin give rise only to a disorganized mass of placental derivatives known as a complete hydatidiform mole. A new study reports that mutations in NALP7, a gene thought to be involved in inflammatory and apoptotic pathways, occur in human females whose biparental conceptuses can develop as apparent complete moles.

DNA methylation is essential for mammalian embryogenesis owing to its repression of transposons and genes, but it is also associated with gene activation. The recent use of sensitive technologies has revealed that DNA methylation dynamics vary considerably between embryonic, germline and somatic cell development, with implications for genetic diseases and cancer.

Striatal projection neurons expressing the D1 or D2 dopamine receptors are probed for translating mRNAs and DNA modifications, identifying differential methylation signatures between the cell types and genome-wide hydroxymethylation asymmetry between the two DNA strands.