Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (12): 4898-4909.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2023.12.002

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Mechanism of Epigenetic Reprogramming of Early Animal Embryos

ZHANG Chenyibo, YU Tong, REN Binbin, ZHENG Ruizhi, ZHU Wenzhi, SU Jianmin*   

  1. Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University, Yangling 712100, China
  • Received:2023-03-23 Online:2023-12-23 Published:2023-12-26

Abstract: During mammalian early embryonic development, the fertilized egg undergoes a series of epigenetic reprogramming events, erasing the epigenetic memory of the parental nuclei and establishing the embryonic totipotency. However, the exact regulation of these reprogramming events by species-specific mechanisms calls for more research into the subject. Significant success has been made in understanding the regulatory network of epigenetic reprogramming during early mammalian embryonic development thanks to the ongoing development of molecular biology techniques, particularly the innovations in low-input whole-genome chromatin analysis. The goal of this paper is to outline recent developments in the mechanisms of epigenetic reprogramming in model animals and different livestock, including work on DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin accessibility, and chromatin 3D structure.

Key words: early embryonic development, epigenetic reprogramming, DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin structure

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