Protection from DNA re-methylation by transcription factors in primordial germ cells and pre-implantation embryos can explain trans-generational epigenetic inheritance.

The results suggest that transcription factors can act as carriers of epigenetic information during germ cell and pre-implantation development by ensuring that the methylation status of CpGs is maintained. These findings provide the basis for a mechanistic description of trans-generational inheritance of epigenetic information in mammals.