A team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge has described for the first time in humans how the epigenome — the suite of molecules attached to our DNA that switch our genes on and off — is comprehensively erased in early primordial germ cells prior to the generation of egg and sperm. However, the study, published in the journal Cell, shows some regions of our DNA — including those associated with conditions such as obesity and schizophrenia — resist complete reprogramming.
