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Dynamic epigenomic landscapes during early lineage specification in mouse embryos
Yu Zhang1, Yunlong Xiang1,2, Qiangzong Yin1
1Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Nature Genetics
|December 6, 2017
Summary
Early mammalian development involves dynamic changes in gene activity and DNA methylation patterns, crucial for cell fate decisions and tissue formation. This study reveals how these epigenetic marks and gene expression coordinate during embryonic lineage segregation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Epigenetics
- Genomics
Background:
- Somatic development in mammals originates from early embryonic lineage segregation.
- The interplay between transcriptomes and epigenomes during initial cell fate commitment is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively investigate transcriptomes and base-resolution methylomes in early mammalian lineages.
- To understand the dynamics of epigenetic modifications and gene expression during lineage specification.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of transcriptomes and base-resolution methylomes in peri- and postimplantation mouse embryos.
- Utilizing Hi-C experiments to map chromatin architecture.
- Investigating DNA methylation patterns at CG and CH sites.
Main Results:
- Discovered allele-specific and lineage-specific de novo methylation at CG and CH sites, leading to differential methylation between embryonic and extraembryonic lineages.
- Demonstrated correlation between global demethylation/remethylation and chromatin compartments during early development.
- Identified dynamic local methylation during gastrulation, aiding in the discovery of putative regulatory elements.
- Showed that de novo methylation patterning is not strictly dependent on implantation.
Conclusions:
- Early mammalian lineage specification involves dynamic transcriptomes, DNA methylomes, and 3D chromatin landscapes.
- Epigenetic dynamics play a critical role in coordinating cell fate decisions during early embryonic development.
