Abstract
The characteristics of epigenetic control, including the potential for long-lasting, stable effects on gene expression that outlive an initial transient signal, could be of singular importance for post-mitotic neurons, which are subject to changes with short- to long-lasting influence on their activity and connectivity. Persistent changes in chromatin structure are thought to contribute to mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance. Recent advances in chromatin biology offer new avenues to investigate regulatory mechanisms underlying long-lasting changes in neurons, with direct implications for the study of brain function, behaviour and diseases.
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Acknowledgements
I thank R. Hellmiss for the original illustrations, F. Meale for help with the manuscript, and N. Francis, M. Ptashne, D. Schubeler and members of the laboratory for insights and discussions. My research is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Klarman Family Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
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Dulac, C. Brain function and chromatin plasticity. Nature 465, 728–735 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09231
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09231
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