Clarification of epigenetic regulation in early mammalian embryogenesis

Clarification of epigenetic regulation in early mammalian embryogenesis

Contributes to elucidation of cell division

Jun 4, 2012

Under the leadership of NAKAMURA Toshinobu , Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University (currently Lecturer at the Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology) and NAKANO Toru , Professor, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, a group of researchers succeeded in clarifying a molecular mechanism of DNA methylation.
Our body is made up of more than 200 kinds of cell generated from the fertilization of an egg cell by a sperm cell. Right after fertilization, most of the epigenetic marks on the DNA from the sperm and egg cells are erased and modification peculiar to each of these 200 kinds of cell is established as generation and division progress. This process in which most of the epigenetic marks on the DNA are erased is called reprogramming and is an essential process in which the genes from the parents are reset so that the early embryonic cells can develop into any cell types of the body.
The epigenetic regulation is a regulation of gene expression not through base sequence ACGT but through cytosine modification and the modifications of histone, a protein that packages the DNA into structural units.
This group discovered that PGC7/Stella protein plays a pivotal role in reprogramming after fertilization and that its role is displayed through histone modification and DNA modification. The group also found that PGC7/Stella binds with a specific histone modification, preventing functions of Tet protein.
It has been clarified that epigenetic regulation is closely related not only to generation and division of multi-cellular organisms, but also to the development of cancers and lifestyle-related diseases. Thus, this research achievement will have a great impact on research regarding generation and division of multi-cellular organisms as well as on reprogramming in cellular differentiation.

20120604_1_fig1.png

Figure

To learn more about this important discovery, please read the full research report entitled " PGC7 binds histone H3K9me2 to protect against conversion of 5MeC to 5HmC in early embryos " available at this page at the nature website.

Related link :

Technical Glossary