Epigenetic memory is an essential process of life that governs the inheritance of predestined functional characteristics of normal cells and the newly acquired properties of cells affected by cancer and other diseases from parental to progeny cells. Unraveling the molecular basis of epigenetic memory dictated by protein and RNA factors in conjunction with epigenetic marks that are erased and re-established during embryogenesis/development during the formation of somatic, stem and disease cells will have far reaching implications to our understanding of embryogenesis/development and various diseases including cancer. While there has been enormous progress made, there are still gaps in knowledge which includes, the identity of unique epigenetic memory factors (EMFs) and epigenome coding enzymes/co-factors/scaffolding proteins involved in the assembly of defined "epigenetic memorysomes" and the epigenome marks that constitute collections of gene specific epigenetic memories corresponding to specific cell types and physiological conditions. A better understanding of the molecular basis for epigenetic memory will play a central role in improving diagnostics and prognostics of disease states and aid the development of targeted therapeutics of complex diseases.

中文翻译：

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发育和疾病中的表观遗传记忆：阐明机理。

表观遗传记忆是生命必不可少的过程，它控制着正常细胞预定功能特性的继承以及受癌症和其他疾病影响的新获得的细胞特性（从亲代细胞到子代细胞）。阐明由蛋白质和RNA因子决定的表观遗传记忆的分子基础，以及在体细胞，干细胞和疾病细胞形成过程中在胚胎发生/发育过程中被擦除和重建的表观遗传标记，将对我们对胚胎发生/发展和各种疾病，包括癌症。尽管已经取得了巨大的进步，但知识方面仍然存在差距，其中包括：定义的“表观遗传记忆体”组装过程中涉及的独特表观遗传记忆因子（EMF）和表观基因组编码酶/辅因子/支架蛋白的身份以及表观基因组标记构成对应于特定细胞类型和生理学的基因特异性表观遗传记忆的集合条件。对表观遗传记忆的分子基础的更好理解将在改善疾病状态的诊断和预后并协助开发复杂疾病的靶向疗法方面发挥中心作用。