The Dynamics of Chromatin Replication

The ability of cells to transmit information encoded in the genome, and its organization into chromatin across cell generations, is a cornerstone of eukaryotic life. Chromatin replication, the copying of the mammalian genome in its structural and functional chromatin context to maintain cell identity and fate, is fundamental to lifelong health and has important implications for cancer and aging. Here, we review the major breakthroughs in our understanding of chromatin dynamics during DNA replication, critical for genome and epigenome inheritance. We discuss how chromatin is disrupted at the replication fork and how the replication machinery ensures transmission of parental histones with their modifications to daughter DNA strands with high fidelity. We highlight how incorporation of new histones is integrated into this process to maintain chromatin integrity and functionality. Finally, we consider how these processes maintain gene expression programs and thus cellular identity and function across cell division throughout the organismal life span.