Figure 1

Model for transfer of epigenetic modifications during DNA replication. Passage of replication machinery completely removes the parental histones and their marks while retaining certain histone modifying enzymes such as the PcG/TrxG complexes still bound to their DNA elements (top panel). After the passage of the replication fork the histone chaperone ASF1 transfers the newly-synthesized H3-H4 dimer to the histone chaperone CAF-1 which in turn gets recruited to the sites of replication via its binding to PCNA and deposits the H3-H4 tetramer onto the newly-replicated DNA. Once the nucleosome core particle is assembled, adjacent histone modifying enzymes add the specific modification on the histones such as methylation in the above model.