During development the genome of the fertilised egg is utilised to create a whole organism with a rich diversity of cell types. While the underlying sequence remains unchanged, each cell type and developmental stage is reflected in a unique epigenome. This coordinated process of developmental epigenetic programming begins in the germ line (early primordial germs cells, PGCs) and cumulates in the creation of the specialised gametes. Post-fertilisation massive epigenetic reprogramming establishes the totipotent zygote and pluripotent cells of the early embryo (inner cell mass, ICM). The latter can be explanted into cell culture and give rise to pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that can be maintained over long periods.
Over the last decade epigenetic reprogramming processes have been widely studied in the zygote, in PGCs and in ESCs. The research focused on various aspects of this topic, most of them being reflected in the selected articles of this volume including (1) understanding reprogramming events at the level of DN A and histone modifications, (2) the physiological parameters and enzymes that control the initiation, the entry and exit from pluripotency, and (3) the differences/similarities of epigenetic reprogramming mechanisms in various pluripotent and totipotent cells.
The detailed knowledge of the underlying reprogramming mechanisms is of great importance for many research areas in human health and disease ranging from stem cell biology to cancer. Examples are a controlled understanding of the cell intrinsic reprogramming mechanisms activated during the in vitro generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells and the erroneous reprogramming mechanisms in somatic (stem) cells leading to massive epigenetic changes in cancer.
This volume compiles a series of articles featuring the current knowledge of molecular events accompanying processes of epigenetic reprogramming. The articles focus on mechanisms operating during early embryonic development, the events that are defining the entry into and exit from pluripotency in ESCs and the implications of such mechanisms for aberrant reprogramming in the course of cancer. The reader will obtain a detailed view of the molecular changes occurring at various epigenetic levels of histone and DNA modifications. All articles feature references to the important discoveries in the field over the last decade. A glossary at the end will help the reader to navigate through many of the specific terms used in epigenetic research. Cambridge, MA Alex Meissner; Saarbrucken, Germany Jorn Walter

The Oocyte Determinants of Early Reprogramming 1

Stella and Zygotic Reprogramming 31

Histone Variants and Reprogramming in Early Development 43

DNA Methylation Reprogramming in Preimplantation Development 69

Establishing and Maintaining Pluripotency: An Epigenetic Perspective 101

Epigenetic Regulation of Pluripotency by Polycomb Group Proteins 121

PRC1-Mediated Gene Silencing in Pluripotent ES Cells: Function and Evolution 141

The Biology and Genomic Localization of Cytosine Modifications 167

Epigenetic Reprogramming in Cancer 193

Index 225

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