Epigenetics and Transposon Control in the Mammalian Germline

Germ cells bridge generations and are critical for the successful propagation of species. Early in development, a small group of embryonic cells embarks on a long but fascinating journey that will take them through most dramatic changes in their genomic architecture, epigenetic makeup and cellular morphology (Lesch and Page 2012). The germ cell lineage will multiply, protect and prepare a few original copies of the newly created embryonic genome for the ultimate purpose of fertilization. Failure to precisely fulfill these functions at any level of cellular organization leads to deleterious mutations, chromosomal numerical and structural abnormalities, subfertility or infertility of an organism.