Epigenome in Early Mammalian Development: Inheritance, Reprogramming and Establishment

Drastic epigenetic reprogramming takes place during preimplantation development, leading to the conversion of terminally differentiated gametes to a totipotent embryo. Deficiencies in remodeling of the epigenomes can cause severe developmental defects, including embryonic lethality. However, how chr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in cell biology Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 237 - 253
Main Authors: Xu, Qianhua, Xie, Wei
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2018
Elsevier BV
Subjects:
Animals
Cellular Reprogramming - genetics
Chromatin
DNA Methylation - genetics
Embryo, Mammalian
Embryonic Development - genetics
Embryos
Epigenesis, Genetic
Fertilization
Gametes
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Genome - genetics
Genomes
Humans
Inheritances
Lethality
Mammals
Studies
ISSN:0962-8924, 1879-3088, 1879-3088
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Drastic epigenetic reprogramming takes place during preimplantation development, leading to the conversion of terminally differentiated gametes to a totipotent embryo. Deficiencies in remodeling of the epigenomes can cause severe developmental defects, including embryonic lethality. However, how chromatin modifications and chromatin organization are reprogrammed upon fertilization in mammals has long remained elusive. Here, we review recent progress in understanding how the epigenome is dynamically regulated during early mammalian development. The latest studies, including many from genome-wide perspectives, have revealed unusual principles of reprogramming for histone modifications, chromatin accessibility, and 3D chromatin architecture. These advances have shed light on the regulatory network controlling the earliest development and maternal-zygotic transition. Fertilization triggers drastic epigenomic reprogramming that converts fully differentiated gametes to totipotent embryos. Early embryos show noncanonical epigenomes compared with somatic cells and embryonic stem cells. Allele- and locus-specific inheritance and erasure of parental epigenetic information ensure a successful transition from the parents to the early embryos. Subsequent establishment of proper zygotic epigenome is essential for embryogenesis. Chromatin reprogramming during early development includes multilevel reorganization of chromatin accessibility, chromatin modifications, and higher-order chromatin architecture.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ObjectType-Review-3
content type line 23
ISSN:0962-8924
1879-3088
1879-3088
DOI:10.1016/j.tcb.2017.10.008