{"title":"Loss of CpG island immunity to DNA methylation induced by mutation.","authors":"Bernhard Horsthemke, Adrian Bird","doi":"10.1186/s13072-023-00488-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The inheritance of acquired traits in mammals is a highly controversial topic in biology. Recently, Takahashi et al. (Cell 186:715-731, 2023) have reported that insertion of CpG-free DNA into a CpG island (CGI) can induce DNA methylation of the CGI and that this aberrant methylation pattern can be transmitted across generations, even after removal of the foreign DNA. These results were interpreted as evidence for transgenerational inheritance of acquired DNA methylation patterns. Here, we discuss several interpretational issues raised by this study and consider alternative explanations.</p>","PeriodicalId":49253,"journal":{"name":"Epigenetics & Chromatin","volume":"16 1","pages":"17"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2000,"publicationDate":"2023-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10173581/pdf/","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Epigenetics & Chromatin","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13072-023-00488-5","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GENETICS & HEREDITY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
The inheritance of acquired traits in mammals is a highly controversial topic in biology. Recently, Takahashi et al. (Cell 186:715-731, 2023) have reported that insertion of CpG-free DNA into a CpG island (CGI) can induce DNA methylation of the CGI and that this aberrant methylation pattern can be transmitted across generations, even after removal of the foreign DNA. These results were interpreted as evidence for transgenerational inheritance of acquired DNA methylation patterns. Here, we discuss several interpretational issues raised by this study and consider alternative explanations.
期刊介绍:
Epigenetics & Chromatin is a peer-reviewed, open access, online journal that publishes research, and reviews, providing novel insights into epigenetic inheritance and chromatin-based interactions. The journal aims to understand how gene and chromosomal elements are regulated and their activities maintained during processes such as cell division, differentiation and environmental alteration.