title: Embryonic transcription is controlled by maternally defined chromatin state.
abstract: Histone-modifying enzymes are required for cell identity and lineage commitment, however little is known about the regulatory origins of the epigenome during embryonic development. Here we generate a comprehensive set of epigenome reference maps, which we use to determine the extent to which maternal factors shape chromatin state in Xenopus embryos. Using α-amanitin to inhibit zygotic transcription, we find that the majority of H3K4me3- and H3K27me3-enriched regions form a maternally defined epigenetic regulatory space with an underlying logic of hypomethylated islands. This maternal regulatory space extends to a substantial proportion of neurula stage-activated promoters. In contrast, p300 recruitment to distal regulatory regions requires embryonic transcription at most loci. The results show that H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 are part of a regulatory space that exerts an extended maternal control well into post-gastrulation development, and highlight the combinatorial action of maternal and zygotic factors through proximal and distal regulatory sequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Saartje
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5286-7859
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hontelez
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ila
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: van Kruijsbergen
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Simon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: van Heeringen
authors.affiliation: ARC Center of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Ozren
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bogdanovic
authors.affiliation: ARC Center of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6637-7239
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lister
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gert Jan C
authors.initials: GJC
authors.lastname: Veenstra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008745:Methylation; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D029867:Xenopus Proteins