Extensive Epigenetic Changes Accompany Terminal Differentiation of Mouse Hepatocytes After Birth.

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation is traditionally thought to be established during early development and to remain mostly unchanged thereafter in healthy tissues, although recent studies have shown that this epigenetic mark can be more dynamic. Epigenetic changes occur in the liver after birth, but the timing and underlying biological processes leading to DNA methylation changes are not well understood. We hypothesized that this epigenetic reprogramming was the result of terminal differentiation of hepatocyte precursors. Using genomic approaches, we characterized the DNA methylation patterns in mouse liver from E18.5 until adulthood to determine if the timing of the DNA methylation change overlaps with hepatocyte terminal differentiation, and to examine the genomic context of these changes and identify the

SUBMITTER: Cannon MV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5100869 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature