Models of Mouse Epigenetic Inheritance: Classification, Mechanisms, and Experimental Strategies

The mouse has proven to be an exceptional model system to build our understanding of the features and underlying mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance, due to the relative accessibility of gametes and early embryos, isogenic mouse strains, genetic tools available, and the advent of single- and low-cell sequencing technologies enabling the assessment of stages of early embryogenesis. In this chapter, I will discuss what is currently known about epigenetic inheritance in mouse, including mechanisms of canonical, noncanonical and transient genomic imprinting and metastable epialleles. I will discuss models and tools in mouse that have been integral in exploring these epigenetic processes.