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Abstract
Classically, the concept of inheritance has been restricted to the passage of DNA. However, in the past couple of decades, have come to understand that information associated with DNA independent of sequence - epigenetic information - can also be inherited and affect phenotypic outcomes across cell divisions. In this dissertation, I will discuss these epigenetic mechanisms and their influence on gene expression. I will also discuss the need to reprogram certain epigenetic information in the context of fertilization when genomic and epigenomic information is passed between generations. The main objective of this dissertation is to investigate the maternal contribution of the histone demethlyase LSD1 and to determine its function at fertilization. I argue that not only is LSD1 reprogramming essential for development but that even slight disturbances in reprogramming at fertilization can result in far-reaching consequences on phenotypes including behavioral aberrations in adult animals.
