The Epigenetics of Normal Pregnancy

Abstract

Epigenetic modifications to chromatin are essential for the specification and maintenance of cell fate, enabling the same genome to programme a variety of cellular outcomes. Epigenetic modulation of gene expression is also a critical mechanism by which cells stabilize their responses to environmental stimuli, including both nutritional cues and hormonal signalling. Unsurprisingly, epigenetics is proving to be vitally important in fetal development, and this review addresses our current understanding of the roles of epigenetic regulation in the prenatal phase. It is striking that while there has been a major interest in the intersection of fetal health with epigenetics, there has been relatively little discussion in the literature on epigenetic changes in the pregnant woman, and we attempt to redress this balance, drawing on the fragmented but intriguing experimental literature in this field.