Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026
11:25
Quantitative Analysis of Protein Expression to Study Lineage Specification in Mouse Preimplantation Embryos
Published on: February 22, 2016
11.4K
G9a regulates temporal preimplantation developmental program and lineage segregation in blastocyst
Jan J Zylicz1,2,3, Maud Borensztein1,2, Frederick Ck Wong1,2
1Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research United Kingdom Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Elife
|May 11, 2018
Summary
Maternally inherited G9a is crucial for early mouse development, repressing specific genes. Its absence causes developmental delays and inner cell mass instability.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics and Developmental Biology
- Chromatin Modifications
- Early Embryogenesis
Background:
- Early mouse development involves dynamic chromatin modifications.
- G9a-mediated histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) plays a role in post-implantation development.
- The role of maternal G9a in oocytes during early development requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of depleting maternally inherited G9a in oocytes on early mouse development after fertilization.
- To understand the function of G9a accumulation during the 4 to 8 cell stage.
- To determine the consequences of maternal G9a loss on gene regulation and embryonic lineages.
Main Methods:
- Maternal G9a depletion in mouse oocytes.
- Analysis of gene expression and chromatin modifications at the 4 to 8 cell stage.
- Assessment of developmental progression and inner cell mass lineage stability at the blastocyst stage.
Main Results:
- G9a accumulates at the 4 to 8 cell stage to repress specific 4-cell stage genes.
- Loss of maternal G9a leads to disruption of the gene regulatory network.
- Developmental delay and destabilization of inner cell mass lineages are observed by the late blastocyst stage.
Conclusions:
- Maternally inherited G9a is a vital epigenetic regulator in early mouse development.
- G9a ensures timely gene repression crucial for developmental progression.
- Maternal G9a influences cell fate decisions and embryonic lineage stability.
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