What an epigenome remembers

During mammalian development, maintenance of cell fate through mitotic divisions require faithful replication not only of the DNA but also of a particular epigenetic state. Germline cells have the capacity of erasing this epigenetic memory at crucial times during development, thereby resetting their epigenome. Certain marks, however, appear to escape this reprogramming, which allows their transmission to the offspring and potentially guarantees transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Here we discuss the molecular requirements for faithful transmission of epigenetic information and our current knowledge about the transmission of epigenetic information through generations.     

New nomenclature for mammalian BSP genes

BSP proteins and their homologs are a family of structurally related proteins characterized by the presence of tandem fibronectin type II domains. In the bovine species, BSP proteins were shown to be involved in sperm capacitation, a posttesticular maturation event necessary for sperm to acquire the ability to fertilize an oocyte. Recently, many new genes from this family have been discovered in numerous mammalian species. However, inconsistency in the nomenclature is creating much confusion. In light of the rapid growth of the BSP superfamily of proteins, we propose a new nomenclature in collaboration with the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee.