Implication of DNA demethylation and bivalent histone modification for selective gene regulation in mouse primordial germ cells.
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) sequentially induce specific genes required for their development. We focused on epigenetic changes that regulate PGC-specific gene expression. mil-1, Blimp1, and Stella are preferentially expressed in PGCs, and their expression is upregulated during PGC differentiation....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2012-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3461056?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818501456145154048 |
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| author | Kentaro Mochizuki Makoto Tachibana Mitinori Saitou Yuko Tokitake Yasuhisa Matsui |
| author_facet | Kentaro Mochizuki Makoto Tachibana Mitinori Saitou Yuko Tokitake Yasuhisa Matsui |
| author_sort | Kentaro Mochizuki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Primordial germ cells (PGCs) sequentially induce specific genes required for their development. We focused on epigenetic changes that regulate PGC-specific gene expression. mil-1, Blimp1, and Stella are preferentially expressed in PGCs, and their expression is upregulated during PGC differentiation. Here, we first determined DNA methylation status of mil-1, Blimp1, and Stella regulatory regions in epiblast and in PGCs, and found that they were hypomethylated in differentiating PGCs after E9.0, in which those genes were highly expressed. We used siRNA to inhibit a maintenance DNA methyltransferase, Dnmt1, in embryonic stem (ES) cells and found that the flanking regions of all three genes became hypomethylated and that expression of each gene increased 1.5- to 3-fold. In addition, we also found 1.5- to 5-fold increase of the PGC genes in the PGCLCs (PGC-like cells) induced form ES cells by knockdown of Dnmt1. We also obtained evidence showing that methylation of the regulatory region of mil-1 resulted in 2.5-fold decrease in expression in a reporter assay. Together, these results suggested that DNA demethylation does not play a major role on initial activation of the PGC genes in the nascent PGCs but contributed to enhancement of their expression in PGCs after E9.0. However, we also found that repression of representative somatic genes, Hoxa1 and Hoxb1, and a tissue-specific gene, Gfap, in PGCs was not dependent on DNA methylation; their flanking regions were hypomethylated, but their expression was not observed in PGCs at E13.5. Their promoter regions showed the bivalent histone modification in PGCs, that may be involved in repression of their expression. Our results indicated that epigenetic status of PGC genes and of somatic genes in PGCs were distinct, and suggested contribution of epigenetic mechanisms in regulation of the expression of a specific gene set in PGCs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:56:25Z |
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| id | doaj.art-ebd14c645caf4fdfbef69f8fe6759dc3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T20:56:25Z |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
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| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-ebd14c645caf4fdfbef69f8fe6759dc32022-12-22T01:33:57ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032012-01-0179e4603610.1371/journal.pone.0046036Implication of DNA demethylation and bivalent histone modification for selective gene regulation in mouse primordial germ cells.Kentaro MochizukiMakoto TachibanaMitinori SaitouYuko TokitakeYasuhisa MatsuiPrimordial germ cells (PGCs) sequentially induce specific genes required for their development. We focused on epigenetic changes that regulate PGC-specific gene expression. mil-1, Blimp1, and Stella are preferentially expressed in PGCs, and their expression is upregulated during PGC differentiation. Here, we first determined DNA methylation status of mil-1, Blimp1, and Stella regulatory regions in epiblast and in PGCs, and found that they were hypomethylated in differentiating PGCs after E9.0, in which those genes were highly expressed. We used siRNA to inhibit a maintenance DNA methyltransferase, Dnmt1, in embryonic stem (ES) cells and found that the flanking regions of all three genes became hypomethylated and that expression of each gene increased 1.5- to 3-fold. In addition, we also found 1.5- to 5-fold increase of the PGC genes in the PGCLCs (PGC-like cells) induced form ES cells by knockdown of Dnmt1. We also obtained evidence showing that methylation of the regulatory region of mil-1 resulted in 2.5-fold decrease in expression in a reporter assay. Together, these results suggested that DNA demethylation does not play a major role on initial activation of the PGC genes in the nascent PGCs but contributed to enhancement of their expression in PGCs after E9.0. However, we also found that repression of representative somatic genes, Hoxa1 and Hoxb1, and a tissue-specific gene, Gfap, in PGCs was not dependent on DNA methylation; their flanking regions were hypomethylated, but their expression was not observed in PGCs at E13.5. Their promoter regions showed the bivalent histone modification in PGCs, that may be involved in repression of their expression. Our results indicated that epigenetic status of PGC genes and of somatic genes in PGCs were distinct, and suggested contribution of epigenetic mechanisms in regulation of the expression of a specific gene set in PGCs.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3461056?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Kentaro Mochizuki Makoto Tachibana Mitinori Saitou Yuko Tokitake Yasuhisa Matsui Implication of DNA demethylation and bivalent histone modification for selective gene regulation in mouse primordial germ cells. PLoS ONE |
| title | Implication of DNA demethylation and bivalent histone modification for selective gene regulation in mouse primordial germ cells. |
| title_full | Implication of DNA demethylation and bivalent histone modification for selective gene regulation in mouse primordial germ cells. |
| title_fullStr | Implication of DNA demethylation and bivalent histone modification for selective gene regulation in mouse primordial germ cells. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Implication of DNA demethylation and bivalent histone modification for selective gene regulation in mouse primordial germ cells. |
| title_short | Implication of DNA demethylation and bivalent histone modification for selective gene regulation in mouse primordial germ cells. |
| title_sort | implication of dna demethylation and bivalent histone modification for selective gene regulation in mouse primordial germ cells |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3461056?pdf=render |
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