Preface 1 Epigenetics: From Phenomenon to Field 2 A Brief History of Epigenetics 3 Overview and Concepts 4 Epigenetics in Saccharomyces cerevisiae 5 Position-Effect Variegation, Heterochromatin Formation, and Gene Silencing in Drosophila 6 Fungal Models for Epigenetic Research: Schizosac charomyces pombe and Neurospora crassa 7 Epigenetics of Ciliates 8 RNAi and Heterochromatin Assembly 9 Epigenetic Regulation in Plants 10 Chromatin Modifications and Their Mechanism of Action 11 Transcriptional Silencing by Polycomb Group Proteins 12 Transcriptional Regulation by Trithorax Group Proteins 13 Histone Variants and Epigenetics 14 Epigenetic Regulation of Chromosome Inheritance 15 Epigenetic Regulation of the X Chromosomes in C. elegans 16 Dosage Compensation in Drosophila 17 Dosage Compensation in Mammals 18 DNA Methylation in Mammals 19 Genomic Imprinting in Mammals 20 Germ Line and Pluripotent Stem Cells 21 Epigenetic Control of Lymphopoiesis 22 Nuclear Transplantation and the Reprogramming of the Genome 23 Epigenetics and Human Disease 24 Epigenetic Determinants of Cancer Appendices 1 WWW Resources 2 Histone Modifications and References Index