Epigenetic memory articles within Nature Communications

Featured

• Article
  20 September 2018 | Open Access

  Female mice lacking Ftx lncRNA exhibit impaired X-chromosome inactivation and a microphthalmia-like phenotype

  Although Ftx lncRNA has been linked to X-chromosome inactivation, its physiological roles in vivo remain unclear. Here the authors show that deletion of mouse Ftx causes eye abnormalities similar to human microphthalmia in a subset of female mice but rarely in males and provide evidence that Ftx plays a role in gene silencing on the inactive X chromosome.

  • Yusuke Hosoi
  • , Miki Soma
  •  & Shin Kobayashi

• Article
  12 February 2018 | Open Access

  Epigenetic modulation of Fgf21 in the perinatal mouse liver ameliorates diet-induced obesity in adulthood

  FGF21 exerts beneficial metabolic effects on multiple tissues. Here the authors show that the Fgf21 gene is demethylated during the postnatal suckling period, creating an epigenetic memory that determines the responsiveness of the Fgf21 gene to inducers such as PPARα activators or fasting in adulthood.

  • Xunmei Yuan
  • , Kazutaka Tsujimoto
  •  & Yoshihiro Ogawa

• Article
  03 November 2017 | Open Access

  Contribution of epigenetic landscapes and transcription factors to X-chromosome reactivation in the inner cell mass

  X-chromosome inactivation is reversed in the mouse inner cell mass (ICM) through a mechanism that is not fully understood. Here, the authors investigate this process and characterize the contributions of the epigenetic landscape and transcription factors in X-linked gene reactivation dynamics.

  • Maud Borensztein
  • , Ikuhiro Okamoto
  •  & Edith Heard

• Article
  13 October 2017 | Open Access

  DNA methylation and transcriptional trajectories during human development and reprogramming of isogenic pluripotent stem cells

  While DNA methylation and gene expression data are widely available for animal models, comprehensive data from human development is rarer. Here, the authors generated transcriptional and DNA methylation data from 21 organs during human development and 6 isogenic induced pluripotent stem cell lines.

  • Matthias S. Roost
  • , Roderick C. Slieker
  •  & Susana M. Chuva de Sousa Lopes

• Article
  25 September 2017 | Open Access

  Genetic and epigenetic features direct differential efficiency of Xist-mediated silencing at X-chromosomal and autosomal locations

  Xist RNA is required for X chromosome inactivation but it is not well understood how Xist silences some regions more efficiently than others. Here, the authors induce ectopic Xist expression from multiple different X-linked and autosomal loci in cells to explore Xist function.

  • Agnese Loda
  • , Johannes H. Brandsma
  •  & Joost Gribnau

• Article
  30 September 2016 | Open Access

  Antagonistic roles of Drosophila Tctp and Brahma in chromatin remodelling and stabilizing repeated sequences

  Genome stability is important for normal cellular function. Here, Hong and Choi show that translationally controlled tumour protein (TCTP) in Drosophilaregulates pericentromeric chromatin remodelling and transcription via negatively regulating a chromatin remodeler Brahma.

  • Sung-Tae Hong
  •  & Kwang-Wook Choi

• Article
  24 August 2016 | Open Access

  Dissecting the precise role of H3K9 methylation in crosstalk with DNA maintenance methylation in mammals

  There is crosstalk between the maintenance of DNA methylation and histone methylation. Here, the authors create an Uhrf1 knockin mouse model that abolishes the H3K9me2/3-binding activity of Uhrf1, and show that DNA maintenance methylation in mammals is largely independent of H3K9 methylation.

  • Qian Zhao
  • , Jiqin Zhang
  •  & Jiemin Wong

• Article
  10 August 2016 | Open Access

  Ordered chromatin changes and human X chromosome reactivation by cell fusion-mediated pluripotent reprogramming

  Reactivation of the inactive X chromosome (Xi) has modelled epigenetic reprogramming in mouse. Here, by using cell fusion between human female fibroblasts and mouse embryonic stem cells, the authors show a complex hierarchy of epigenetic changes that are required to reactivate the genes on the human Xi chromosome.

  • Irene Cantone
  • , Hakan Bagci
  •  & Amanda G. Fisher

• Article
  26 November 2014 | Open Access

  Epigenetic memory of the first cell fate decision prevents complete ES cell reprogramming into trophoblast

  Various strategies have been reported to generate mouse trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Here the authors show that, regardless of the strategy used for TSC generation, these retain an epigenetic and transcriptional memory of the ESC origin and the transition remains incomplete.

  • Francesco Cambuli
  • , Alexander Murray
  •  & Myriam Hemberger