A lexicon of DNA modifications: their roles in embryo development and the germline

Zhu, Qifan; Stöger, Reinhard; Alberio, Ramiro

doi:10.3389/fcell.2018.00024

A lexicon of DNA modifications: their roles in embryo development and the germline

Zhu, Qifan; Stöger, Reinhard; Alberio, Ramiro

Authors

Qifan Zhu

Dr REINHARD STOGER REINHARD.STOGER@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

Professor RAMIRO ALBERIO ramiro.alberio@nottingham.ac.uk
PROFESSOR OF DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

Abstract

5-methylcytosine (5mC) on CpG dinucleotides has been viewed as the major epigenetic modification in eukaryotes for a long time. Apart from 5mC, additional DNA modifications have been discovered in eukaryotic genomes. Many of these modifications are thought to be solely associated with DNA damage. However, growing evidence indicates that some base modifications, namely 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC), and N6-methadenine (6mA), may be of biological relevance, particularly during early stages of embryo development. Although abundance of these DNA modifications in eukaryotic genomes can be low, there are suggestions that they cooperate with other epigenetic markers to affect DNA-protein interactions, gene expression, defense of genome stability and epigenetic inheritance. Little is still known about their distribution in different tissues and their functions during key stages of the animal lifecycle. This review discusses current knowledge and future perspectives of these novel DNA modifications in the mammalian genome with a focus on their dynamic distribution during early embryonic development and their potential function in epigenetic inheritance through the germ line.

Citation

Zhu, Q., Stöger, R., & Alberio, R. (2018). A lexicon of DNA modifications: their roles in embryo development and the germline. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 6, Article 24. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2018.00024

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Feb 27, 2018
Publication Date	Mar 27, 2018
Deposit Date	Apr 5, 2018
Publicly Available Date	Apr 5, 2018
Journal	Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
Electronic ISSN	2296-634X
Publisher	Frontiers Media
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	6
Article Number	24
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2018.00024
Keywords	Modified bases in eukaryotic DNA; 5mC; 5hmC; 6mA; Germ cells; Embryo; Epigenetic reprogramming
Public URL	https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/922020
Publisher URL	https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2018.00024
Contract Date	Apr 5, 2018