title: Early programming of the oocyte epigenome temporally controls late prophase I transcription and chromatin remodelling.
abstract: Oocytes are arrested for long periods of time in the prophase of the first meiotic division (prophase I). As chromosome condensation poses significant constraints to gene expression, the mechanisms regulating transcriptional activity in the prophase I-arrested oocyte are still not entirely understood. We hypothesized that gene expression during the prophase I arrest is primarily epigenetically regulated. Here we comprehensively define the Drosophila female germ line epigenome throughout oogenesis and show that the oocyte has a unique, dynamic and remarkably diversified epigenome characterized by the presence of both euchromatic and heterochromatic marks. We observed that the perturbation of the oocyte's epigenome in early oogenesis, through depletion of the dKDM5 histone demethylase, results in the temporal deregulation of meiotic transcription and affects female fertility. Taken together, our results indicate that the early programming of the oocyte epigenome primes meiotic chromatin for subsequent functions in late prophase I.
authors: Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, and Center for Biomedical Research, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.|Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.
authors: Paulo
authors: P
authors: Navarro-Costa
authors: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York 12222, USA.
authors: Alicia
authors: A
authors: McCarthy
authors: Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, and Center for Biomedical Research, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.|Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.
authors: Pedro
authors: P
authors: Prudêncio
authors: Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA.
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Greer
authors: Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, and Center for Biomedical Research, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.|Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.
authors: Leonardo G
authors: LG
authors: Guilgur
authors: Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.
authors: Jörg D
authors: JD
authors: Becker
authors: Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA.
authors: Julie
authors: J
authors: Secombe
authors: Department of Biological Sciences/RNA Institute, University at Albany SUNY, Albany, New York 12222, USA.
authors: Prashanth
authors: P
authors: Rangan
authors: Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, and Center for Biomedical Research, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.|Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.
authors: Rui G
authors: 0000-0002-1641-3403
authors: RG
authors: Martinho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly / Q000235:genetics*; D000073399:DNA Demethylation; D004330:Drosophila / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics; D056466:Histone Demethylases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D049469:Meiotic Prophase I / Q000235:genetics*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006657:Histones; D056466:Histone Demethylases; C518655:Lid protein, Drosophila