Epigenetic inheritance during the cell cycle

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Abstract
Epigenetic inheritance concerns the mechanisms that ensure transmission of epigenetic marks from mother to daughter cell. Chromatin modifications and nuclear organization are candidates for epigenetic marks — whether they fulfil the criterion of heritability and what mechanisms ensure their propagation is an area of intensive research. The passage of the replication fork challenges genetic and epigenetic information. Depending on the nature of the epigenetic mark, its inheritance can be ensured in a replication-coupled manner or in a timely manner that is separated from the disruptive event. DNA methylation is inherited at the replication fork in a semi-conservative manner. The redistribution of parental histones, together with their parental modifications at the fork, affects the transmission of information. Histone chaperones have an important role in controlling histone dynamics at the fork. The maintenance of DNA methylation and histone modifications is interconnected at the replication fork. The centromere-specific histone H3 variant CenH3 (CENP-A in humans) is inherited in a replication-uncoupled manner — new CENP-A is deposited in late telophase–G1 phase, highlighting a new window of inheritance during the cell cycle. Restoration of pericentric heterochromatin after passage of the replication fork involves an RNA interference-dependent mechanism in fission yeast, whereas for mammals evidence suggests that the DNA methylation maintenance machinery, chromatin assembly factors and histone modifiers operate in a concerted manner to ensure heterochromatin maintenance. Reprogramming during development highlights the reversibility of epigenetic states.