The DOI matches its Crossref record; 206 of the 208 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
DNA methylation patterns and epigenetic memory
Open accessAbstract
The character of a cell is defined by its constituent proteins, which are the result of specific patterns of gene expression. Crucial determinants of gene expression patterns are DNA-binding transcription factors that choose genes for transcriptional activation or repression by recognizing the sequence of DNA bases in their promoter regions. Interaction of these factors with their cognate sequences triggers a chain of events, often involving changes in the structure of chromatin, that leads to the assembly of an active transcription complex (e.g., Cosma et al. 1999). But the types of transcription factors present in a cell are not alone sufficient to define its spectrum of gene activity, as the transcriptional potential of a genome can become restricted in a stable manner during development. The constraints imposed by developmental history probably account for the very low efficiency of cloning animals from the nuclei of differentiated cells (Rideout et al. 2001; Wakayama and Yanagimachi 2001). A “transcription factors only” model would predict that the gene expression pattern of a differentiated nucleus would be completely reversible upon exposure to a new spectrum of factors. Although many aspects of expression can be reprogrammed in this way (Gurdon 1999), some marks of differentiation are evidently so stable that immersion in an alien cytoplasm cannot erase the memory. The genomic sequence of a differentiated cell is thought to be identical in most cases to that of the zygote from which it is descended (mammalian B and T cells being an obvious exception). This means that the marks of developmental history are unlikely to be caused by widespread somatic mutation. Processes less irrevocable than mutation fall under the umbrella term “epigenetic” mechanisms. A current definition of epigenetics is: “The study of mitotically and/or meiotically heritable changes in gene function that cannot be explained by changes in DNA sequence” (Russo et al. 1996). There are two epigenetic systems that affect animal development and fulfill the criterion of heritability: DNA methylation and the Polycomb-trithorax group (Pc-G/trx) protein complexes. (Histone modification has some attributes of an epigenetic process, but the issue of heritability has yet to be resolved.) This review concerns DNA methylation, focusing on the generation, inheritance, and biological significance of genomic methylation patterns in the development of mammals. Data will be discussed favoring the notion that DNA methylation may only affect genes that are already silenced by other mechanisms in the embryo. Embryonic transcription, on the other hand, may cause the exclusion of the DNA methylation machinery. The heritability of methylation states and the secondary nature of the decision to invite or exclude methylation support the idea that DNA methylation is adapted for a specific cellular memory function in development. Indeed, the possibility will be discussed that DNA methylation and Pc-G/trx may represent alternative systems of epigenetic memory that have been interchanged over evolutionary time. Animal DNA methylation has been the subject of several recent reviews (Bird and Wolffe 1999; Bestor 2000; Hsieh 2000; Costello and Plass 2001; Jones and Takai 2001). For recent reviews of plant and fungal DNA methylation, see Finnegan et al. (2000), Martienssen and Colot (2001), and Matzke et al. (2001).
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“When methylation occurs within promoter regions, transcription factors are blocked from binding and gene expression is reduced or silenced”
From The clinical use of epigenetics in psychiatry: a narrative review of epigenetic mechanisms, key candidate genes, and precision psychiatry (2025) · cites this paper as [9]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“DNA itself is also subject to methylation on the C5 atom of cytosine (Bird, 2002).”
From Influence of Metabolism on Epigenetics and Disease (2013) · cites this paper as Bird, 2002
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bird, A.
- Affiliations
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Bird, Adrian
- ORCID
- Bird, Adrian
- Venue
- Genes & Development
- Publisher
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- Published
- 2002-01-01
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 6-21
- ISSN
- 0890-9369 (ISSN-L)
- 1549-5477
- OpenAlex
- W2121417064
- Cited by
- 7,124
- References
- 208
- Citations by year
- 2026: 178 · 2025: 199 · 2024: 247 · 2023: 222 · 2022: 284 · 2021: 327 · 2020: 318 · 2019: 328 · 2018: 327 · 2017: 426 · 2016: 408 · 2015: 416 · 2014: 415 · 2013: 409 · 2012: 382
- Type
- posted content
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Genes & Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Syndromes and Imprinting
- Keywords
- epigenetic memory, genomic imprinting, Polycomb group proteins, Trithorax group proteins, transcriptional repression, epigenetic reprogramming, mammalian development, gene silencing, histone modifications, somatic cell nuclear transfer, epigenetic inheritance
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Embryonic and Fetal Development, Humans, Transcription, Genetic, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, DNA Methylation, Gene Silencing
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