John Arne Dahl

Abstract Epigenomes of mammalian oocytes and embryos undergo major transitions essential for successful development. Here, we provide genome-wide maps of histone variant H2A.Z during twelve stages of mouse oogenesis and preimplantation embryo development and relate it to histone marks and genomic features. This revealed that major waves of H2A.Z incorporation occur early in growing oocytes, forming distinct patterns of maternal, embryonic, and persistent H2A.Z enrichment.

Happy Birthday, Nicolas Cage! There’s a lot to be said for consistency, and for film fans, the ability to count on reliably great performances from an actor can be the difference between pre-ordering tickets weeks in advance or waiting until a movie comes out on home video. On the other hand, there’s also an undeniable excitement that comes with unpredictability, and Nicolas Cage‘s filmography is a perfect case in point.

Abstract The timing of DNA replication in mammals is crucial for minimizing errors and influenced by genome usage and chromatin states. Replication timing in the newly formed mammalian embryo remains poorly understood. Here, we have investigated replication timing in mouse zygotes and 2-cell embryos, revealing that zygotes lack a conventional replication timing program, which then emerges in 2-cell embryos.