Mechanisms of acquisition and loss of methylation-mediated epigenetic traits remain unclear

Elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing the acquisition and loss of DNA methylation–mediated epigenetic traits across generations, including how environmental stimuli initiate, stabilize, or erase methylation marks over time.

Background

The authors connect redundancy in DNA information storage with epigenetic stability and memory, discussing evidence that environmental stimuli can induce DNA damage, repair, and methylation changes that may be inherited across generations.

Amid these insights, they explicitly state that the mechanisms underlying the acquisition and loss of methylation-mediated traits are currently unclear, highlighting a key biological question linked to epigenetic inheritance and memory.

References

Traits governed by DNA methylation represent a form of inheritance that is susceptible to environmental influences, can be acquired and transmitted across generations, though it may be transient over successive lineages. At present, the mechanisms underlying acquisition and loss remain unclear.

— DNA and Human Language: Epigenetic Memory and Redundancy in Linear Sequence (2503.23494 - Yang et al., 30 Mar 2025) in Discussion and conclusion