Mitotic bookmarking: maintaining post-mitotic reprogramming of transcription reactivation.

Restoring chromatin structure with high fidelity after mitosis is critical for cell survival. Transcriptional reactivation of genes is the first step toward establishing identity of the daughter cell. During mitosis, chromatin bookmarking factors associated with specific chromatin regions ensure the restoration of the original gene expression pattern in daughter cells. Recent findings have provided new insights into the mechanisms, regulation, and biological significance of gene bookmarking in eukaryotes. In this review, we discuss how epigenetic factors, such as Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1, establish epigenetic memory in mitotic chromatin.