Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Incomplete methylation reprogramming in SCNT embryos

  • News & Views
  • Published:

From Nature Genetics

View current issue Submit your manuscript

The cloning of Dolly the sheep was a remarkable demonstration of the oocyte's ability to reprogram a specialized nucleus. However, embryos derived from such somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) very rarely result in live births—a fate that may be linked to observed epigenetic defects. A new genome-wide study shows that epigenetic reprogramming in SCNT embryos does not fully recapitulate the natural DNA demethylation events occurring at fertilization, resulting in aberrant methylation at some promoters and repetitive elements that may contribute to developmental failure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1: Methylation dynamics in SCNT and fertilization.

Katie Vicari

References

  1. Hemberger, M. et al. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 10, 526–537 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Niemann, H. et al. Reproduction 135, 151–163 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Chan, M.M., Smith, Z.D., Egli, D., Regev, A. & Meissner, A. Nat. Genet. 44, 978–980 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wossidlo, M. et al. EMBO J. 29, 1877–1888 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Santos, F. et al. Curr. Biol. 13, 1116–1121 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Smallwood, S.A. et al. Nat. Genet. 43, 811–814 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Smith, Z.D. et al. Nature 484, 339–344 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Okada, Y. et al. Nature 463, 554–558 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Hajkova, P. et al. Science 329, 78–82 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Wossidlo, M. et al. Nat. Commun. 2, 241 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Gu, T.P. et al. Nature 477, 606–610 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Loi, P. et al. Bioessays 30, 66–74 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Nakamura, T. et al. Nature 486, 415–419 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Farthing, C.R. et al. PLoS Genet. 4, e1000116 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Zamudio, N. & Bourc'his, D. Heredity 105, 92–104 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Julian R. Peat and Wolf Reik are in the Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK.,

    Julian R Peat & Wolf Reik

  2. Wolf Reik is also at the Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,

    Wolf Reik

Authors
  1. Julian R Peat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wolf Reik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wolf Reik.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Peat, J., Reik, W. Incomplete methylation reprogramming in SCNT embryos. Nat Genet 44, 965–966 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.2393

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.2393

  • Springer Nature America, Inc.

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation