TY - JOUR
T1 - Trans-generational epigenetic regulation of C. elegans primordial germ cells
AU - Furuhashi, Hirofumi
AU - Takasaki, Teruaki
AU - Rechtsteiner, Andreas
AU - Li, Tengguo
AU - Kimura, Hiroshi
AU - Checchi, Paula M.
AU - Strome, Susan
AU - Kelly, William G.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Robert Horvitz, Geraldine Seydoux and Taryn Phippen for reagents, and Jason Lieb, Kohta Ikegami and members of the Kelly and Strome laboratories, especially Taryn Phippen, for helpful discussions. This work was supported by NIH grants GM077600 (W.G.K) and GM34059 (S.S.) and NHGRI modENCODE grant U01 HG004270.
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Background. The processes through which the germline maintains its continuity across generations has long been the focus of biological research. Recent studies have suggested that germline continuity can involve epigenetic regulation, including regulation of histone modifications. However, it is not clear how histone modifications generated in one generation can influence the transcription program and development of germ cells of the next. Results. We show that the histone H3K36 methyltransferase maternal effect sterile (MES)-4 is an epigenetic modifier that prevents aberrant transcription activity in Caenorhabditis elegans primordial germ cells (PGCs). In mes-4 mutant PGCs, RNA Pol II activation is abnormally regulated and the PGCs degenerate. Genetic and genomewide analyses of MES-4-mediated H3K36 methylation suggest that MES-4 activity can operate independently of ongoing transcription, and may be predominantly responsible for maintenance methylation of H3K36 in germline-expressed loci. Conclusions. Our data suggest a model in which MES-4 helps to maintain an 'epigenetic memory' of transcription that occurred in germ cells of previous generations, and that MES-4 and its epigenetic product are essential for normal germ cell development.
AB - Background. The processes through which the germline maintains its continuity across generations has long been the focus of biological research. Recent studies have suggested that germline continuity can involve epigenetic regulation, including regulation of histone modifications. However, it is not clear how histone modifications generated in one generation can influence the transcription program and development of germ cells of the next. Results. We show that the histone H3K36 methyltransferase maternal effect sterile (MES)-4 is an epigenetic modifier that prevents aberrant transcription activity in Caenorhabditis elegans primordial germ cells (PGCs). In mes-4 mutant PGCs, RNA Pol II activation is abnormally regulated and the PGCs degenerate. Genetic and genomewide analyses of MES-4-mediated H3K36 methylation suggest that MES-4 activity can operate independently of ongoing transcription, and may be predominantly responsible for maintenance methylation of H3K36 in germline-expressed loci. Conclusions. Our data suggest a model in which MES-4 helps to maintain an 'epigenetic memory' of transcription that occurred in germ cells of previous generations, and that MES-4 and its epigenetic product are essential for normal germ cell development.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77956337676&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77956337676&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/1756-8935-3-15
DO - 10.1186/1756-8935-3-15
M3 - Article
C2 - 20704745
AN - SCOPUS:77956337676
SN - 1756-8935
VL - 3
JO - Epigenetics and Chromatin
JF - Epigenetics and Chromatin
IS - 1
M1 - 15
ER -