title: Prepatterning of developmental gene expression by modified histones before zygotic genome activation.
abstract: A hallmark of anamniote vertebrate development is a window of embryonic transcription-independent cell divisions before onset of zygotic genome activation (ZGA). Chromatin determinants of ZGA are unexplored; however, marking of developmental genes by modified histones in sperm suggests a predictive role of histone marks for ZGA. In zebrafish, pre-ZGA development for ten cell cycles provides an opportunity to examine whether genomic enrichment in modified histones is present before initiation of transcription. By profiling histone H3 trimethylation on all zebrafish promoters before and after ZGA, we demonstrate here an epigenetic prepatterning of developmental gene expression. This involves pre-ZGA marking of transcriptionally inactive genes involved in homeostatic and developmental regulation by permissive H3K4me3 with or without repressive H3K9me3 or H3K27me3. Our data suggest that histone modifications are instructive for the developmental gene expression program.
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Epigenetics Laboratory, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, and Norwegian Center for Stem Cell Research, 0317 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Leif C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Lindeman
authors.forename: Ingrid S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Andrew H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Reiner
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Håvard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aanes
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Østrup
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Winata
authors.forename: Sinnakaruppan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mathavan
authors.forename: Ferenc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aleström
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Collas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D005810:Multigene Family; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins