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The generation of primitive macrophages remains a poorly understood process in humans. Here, the authors identify placental erythro-myeloid progenitors that give rise to foetal macrophages in the early human placenta and demonstrate that epigenetic silencing of the class II transactivator leads to downregulation of HLA-DR in these cells.

DNA methylation is a repressive modification that is essential for development. Here the authors reveal a critical role for DNA methylation in placental development during pregnancy. Failure to properly establish placental DNA methylation patterns compromises not only placental function, but embryo survival.

PWWP domains of DNMT3A and DNMT3B are proposed to interact with H3K36me3. Here the authors present a mouse model carrying a D329A point mutation in the DNMT3A PWWP domain and find this causes dominant postnatal growth retardation, with aberrant progressive gain of DNA methylation across domains marked by H3K27me3 in adult tissues.