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DNA methylation and demethylation: A pathway to gametogenesis and development

The generation of gametes falls between two reprogramming phases. These phases are characterised by profound periods of transcriptional activity, which define and reinforce lineage decisions. The control of these transcriptional programs and the interpretation of the underlying genetic instruction is the task of the epigenome. As such, dynamic processes during reprogramming are critical for the development of the germ line and its resetting, which propels that developmental process forward and provides the transfer of genetic and epigenetic information between generations. Central in this reprogramming is the addition and subtraction of DNA methylation and its oxidative products, coupled to the mechanisms at play to achieve this goal. The activities competent to add DNA methylation, and identification of those enzymes able to modify it, have heralded a new chapter in our understanding of the complexities that dictate and direct cellular fates. How the early embryos makes use of these marks and how they are modulated will give us insight into cellular differentiation and reprogramming critical for health and into the process of aging. This review details some of these processes and the activities essential to achieve the immortality of the mammalian germ line. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 81: 113–125, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.