Changes of DNA methylation level and spatial arrangement of primordial germ cells in embryonic day 15 to embryonic day 28 pig embryos.

The mammalian germline is generally assumed to undergo extensive epigenetic reprogramming during embryonic development, including a nearly complete erasure of DNA methylation. This assumption does, however, to large degree rely on data from mouse, and despite a well-grounded picture the general nature of these data needs to be validated by investigations of other mammalian species. This study represents such a contribution in the examination of the germline in the domestic pig (Sus scrofa).