PGC Reversion to Pluripotency Involves Erasure of DNA Methylation from Imprinting Control Centers followed by Locus-Specific Re-methylation.
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are fate restricted to differentiate into gametes in vivo. However, when removed from their embryonic niche, PGCs undergo reversion to pluripotent embryonic germ cells (EGCs) in vitro. One of the major differences between EGCs and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is variable methylation at imprinting control centers (ICCs), a phenomenon that is poorly understood. Here we show that reverting PGCs to EGCs involved stable ICC methylation erasure at Snrpn, Igf2r, and Kcnqot1. In contrast, the H19/Igf2 ICC undergoes erasure followed by de novo re-methylation. PGCs differentiated in vitro from ESCs completed Snrpn ICC erasure. However, the hypomethylated state is highly unstable. We also discovered that when the H19/Igf2 ICC was abnormally hypermethylated in ESCs, this is not erased in PGCs differentiated from ESCs. Therefore, launching PGC differentiation from ESC lines with appropriately methylated ICCs is critical to the generation of germline cells that recapitulate endogenous ICC erasure.
Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Marisabel
M
Oliveros-Etter
Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Ziwei
Z
Li
Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Kevin
K
Nee
Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Linzi
L
Hosohama
Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Joseph
J
Hargan-Calvopina
Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Serena A
SA
Lee
Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Prakash
P
Joti
Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Juehua
J
Yu
Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: clarka@ucla.edu.
Amander T
AT
Clark
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D018392:Genomic Imprinting / Q000502:physiology*; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D000066450:Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*