Epigenetic news

A paper in Nature this week, Germline DNA Demethylation Dynamics and Imprint Erasure Through 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine, provides important details for how epigenetic information could be inherited.

From the ScienceDaily report:

Dr Jamie Hackett from the University of Cambridge, who led the research, said: "Our research demonstrates how genes could retain some memory of their past experiences, revealing that one of the big barriers to the theory of epigenetic inheritance -- that epigenetic information is erased between generations -- should be reassessed."

...

"However, it is not yet clear what consequences, if any, epigenetic inheritance might have in humans. Further studies should give us a clearer understanding of the extent to which heritable traits can be derived from epigenetic inheritance, and not just from genes. That could have profound consequences for future generations."