Scientists at the Babraham Institute have revealed the mechanism by which DNA is reset when germ cells (eggs and sperm) develop. As we all know, epigenetic modification refers to DNA modification that does not change the DNA sequence. Adding such a small group to DNA will change the activity of the gene. In people's lives (including development in the uterus), epigenetic modifications are constantly accumulating and changing, and the environment can also affect epigenetic modifications.
During the maturation of germ cells, most DNA modifications will be erased. This reset mechanism will delete the corresponding "environmental memory", but some DNA modifications will also remain. Understanding this reprogramming mechanism can not only deepen people's understanding of development, but also help people to analyze the mechanism of epigenetic modification transmission between generations.
Every cell in the organism has the same DNA sequence (genome), and the differential expression of the DNA sequence (difference in gene on and off) forms different cell types. Methylation often occurs on inactive genes, and this study is the first genome-wide study of methylation on primordial germ cells.
The researchers used the Illumina sequencing platform to generate a high-resolution methylation map, marking the timing and location of DNA demethylation in the original germ cells. All along, little is known about the demethylation process in mammals, and this study shows that most demethylation events occur earlier than people expect. In addition, what is more exciting is that the researchers have discovered regions of DNA that can avoid demethylation, and this is likely to be the mechanism that passes environmental effects to the offspring. Interestingly, one of the above areas is also associated with type 2 diabetes.
Professor Wolf Reik, senior author of the article, added that in recent years, many studies have confirmed that environmental information can be passed on to the next generation in mammals. For example, the metabolism of offspring of mice on a high-fat diet is also affected. But so far, people do not know how the inheritance of environmental information occurs, and this new study supports the above phenomenon from the mechanism. In addition, studies have shown that DNA demethylation occurs completely more frequently in sperm-forming cells than in egg-forming cells, meaning that the father's role may be greater in the passage of epigenetic modifications. This research can not only help people further understand the genetic and developmental mechanisms, but also bring new inspiration for the treatment of diseases such as obesity and diabetes
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