Rebecca A Mosher

Rebecca Mosher, PhD, studies how epigenetic information is passed from parent to offspring. Epigenetic information refers to signals laid on top of DNA sequence that affect how and when genes are turned on. Examples of epigenetic signals include chemical modifications of DNA, packaging of DNA around proteins, or the position of DNA in the nucleus. Beginning with Mendel’s observations of pea plants, we have developed a robust understanding of how genetic information in the form of DNA is passed from parent to offspring, but we are only beginning to comprehend how and when epigenetic information is passed from generation to generation. Some epigenetic marks are erased and re-established during reproduction, while others are inherited for many generations. Using plants as models, the Mosher lab studies how tiny RNA molecules place and erase epigenetic marks during reproduction and how the epigenetic marks from the maternal and paternal genomes interact after fertilization.