Mouse ooplasm confers context-specific reprogramming capacity

Abstract

Enucleated oocytes have the distinctive ability to reprogram somatic nuclei back to totipotency. Here, we investigate genome-scale DNA methylation patterns after nuclear transfer and compare them to the dynamics at fertilization. We identify specific targets for DNA demethylation after nuclear transfer, such as germline-associated promoters, as well as unique limitations that include certain repetitive element classes.